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Guns and Gunning 



Guns and GuTimng 

By Bellmore H. Browne 



Edited by DAN Beard 




Written for and Published by 

J. STEVENS ARMS & TOOL CO. 

Chicopee Falls, Mass. 

U. S. A. 







^■A^'-^S^AnZ-^t-.r.- 



'ii^mnr^ 



jUB«ARYof OONGr 
' Two Copies Keceiy>. 

APR .24 1908 

:;3pyfiitrii tnuy 
ClJiS§4 XXc. Mu. 

I COPY B. 






Copynshled 1908 
J. STEVENS ARMS & TOOL CO. 

April 



/'^•/•jj of LoRiNG-AxTBLL Company 
Springfield, Mass. 




j(v>'"^v\ia/,s.tife 




R E F A C E 

HERE is a sprig of balsam on our 
desk, and it stifles the sickening odors 
from the reeking streets. 



'" 'Tts the silence of the Forest 
Crowding in upon our doors, ' 



and as the associations bom of its perfume fill our 
brain to the exclusion of ever}i;hing else, what care 
we for must}' papers, stocks cind bonds, bcink books 
and checks, bills and duns, or the tiresome ring of 
the telephone bell, the monotonous ticking of the 
telegraphic instruments, the stupid contents of ledgers, 
the columns of interminable* figures, the wording of 
perfunctory letters, or any of the wheels which com- 
pose the senseless cirtificicilities of modem life ? 

Above the hum of the multitude, the roar of 
the elevated trains, the harsh clang of trolley car 
bells, the vile oaths of truckmen, and the insane 
medley of city noises, there comes to us sweet and 
clear, the voice of dear old Mother Nature, bidding 




us home, calling us to the wilderness, our old, old 
home, the original homestead of the human race, 
antedating the pyramids and designed and con- 
structed for us by the Divine Architect himself ! 

It is the soul-stirring call of man primeval now 
ringing in our ears, and it causes us to become 
restive, to stretch our necks like captive wild geese 
when they see the flying wedge of their free 
brothers clearing the misty morning air, 
and hear the honk of the wise old leading 
gander as he bids them come! 

This book is an answer to " the call of the 
wild, " and it is our sincere wish that the very prac- 
tical hints and advice here given may be of service 
to the novice and not altogether unwelcome to the 
veteran. 

Our own experience teaches us that no matter 
how often we visit the woods we always find some- 
thing new to learn and no one man knows it all. 

Especially do we wish this book to be of service 
to the youth of this country, to those healthy, whole- 
some American lads whose normal minds give them 
a natural desire to spend their vacation in the open 
with their trusty Stevens on their shoulders. 

For their benefit we suggest that they organ- 
ize Stevens Rifle Clubs 




/rem S^cuS'J Cc/licti9m 



to practice shooting at targets and thus fit themselves 
for their vacation trips in the woods, and also to 
develop that manly self control and calm resource- 
fulness which were the marked characteristics of 
their forbears, and which have done so much 
to make the American people great and their 
country one that is respected by every nation in 
the world. 

Let each group of boys organize a club, select 
a president, treasurer, secretary and a corresponding 
secretary, the latter to attend to the correspondence 
with other Stevens Rifle clubs. 

The J. Stevens Arms & Tool Company will 
gladly do all in its power to encourage and help the 
organizations in their work of perfecting themselves 
in the proper care and use of firearms. 

When Mr. I. H. Page of the J. Stevens Arms & 
Tool Company suggested to the editor that he should 
get up this book, the latter had so much work on hand 
that he was in despair until he secured the talented 
young artist and arctic explorer, Mr. Bellmore H. 
Browne to help him in the task, or rather the work of 
love, and he could not have found a more agreeable 
gentleman, a more accompHshed real wilderness 
hunter, or a more practical outdoor man for the work. 
The reader is indebted to Mr. Browne for the 




whole of this book — the editor's part consisted only 
in supervising the practical bookmaking part and 
editing the manuscript during the absence of the 
author on an exploring expedition to the far ice- 
bound Mt. McKinley, from which at the present 
writing he is not expected to return until after this 
book is published and in the readers' hands. 

Editor. 




CONTENTS 

Chapter I 

Beach Birds - - - - - - I] 

Decoys - - - - - - 14 

Boats ...... 15 

Boots .._... 16 

Tides .--.-. 16 

Jack Snipe - - - - - - 17 

Yellow-Legs, Beetlehead, etc. - - - - |9 

Chapter II 

Hunting with the Rifle - - - - 23-32 

Chapter III 

The Shotgun - . . _ . 33-40 

Chapter IV 

Wild Fowl .---.. 41 

Blinds ...... 44 

Decoys -_...- 45 

Number of Decoys - - ... 45 

Mixed Shooting - - - . _ 46 

Fitting out a Stool . - - - . 47 

BoaU -.._.. 48 

Clothes ---.... 49 

Guns and Ammunition - . . _ 49 

Ammunition ------ 50 

Size of Shot - - - - . 51 

Hunting .--.,. 52 

Shooting over Decoys - - - . 52 

Calling Ducks ...-,. 53 

Pass Shooting - - - - .. , 54 

"Jumping" Ducks .---.» 55 

Sink-Box Shooting - - . . _ 56 

Goose Shooting .-.--_ 57 



Chapter V 

Upland Shooting ----- 59 

Grouse and Woodcock ----- 60 

Quail ------ 63 

"Prairie Chickens" ----- 64 

Chapter VI 

A Brief History of Firearms - - - - 69 

Marksmanship ----- - 75 

Chapter VII 

The Wilderness - - - - - 81 

Wood and Water ----- 82 

Neatness and Order ----- 83 

Tents - 84 

Flies 84 

Fires 85 

Stoves ------ 86 

Bckking Fires ------ 86 

Frying Fires ------ 88 

Roasting Fires ------ 88 

Boiling 89 

Cooking Utensils ------ 89 

Camp Cooking ----- 99 

Grub - - 93 

Beds 93 

Packing - - 94 

Packing Horses ----- 95 

Packing Dogs .-----% 

Man Packing . - _ _ - 97 

Fording Streams ------ 99 

Pack Fording __.._- 99 

Pole Fording - - . - - - 100 

Woodcraft - 101 

Hunting ------ 102 

Still Hunting 103 

Carelessness with Firearms - - - - 104 






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CHAPTER I 

Beach Birds 

'HEN the beaches begin to warm under 
the Spring sun, and the fresh green of the 
new grass changes the salt marshes, the 
beach birds sweep northward along our coasts. 
There are over 60 species of shore birds found in 
North America, and among them are some of our 
most highly prized game birds. The flights that 
some of these delicate looking birds make are remark- 
able. Some of them make the round trip from South 
America to the Arctic in the course of a year. The 
snipe arrives in our Northern States between the 
middle of April and the early part of May, on their 
way to the North, where they breed; and return in 
the latter part of August, or the beginning of Sep- 
tember, making only a short stay. All the birds of 
this genus seem to go North to breed, and to return 

II 



Southward as soon as the young are able to fly. 
Single birds are to be met with in summer or at 
almost any season, but they are male birds that for 
some reason have not mated, and have remained in 
the warm Southland. 

The flight of the snipe genus is easy and rapid, 
and their movements on land are dignified and grace- 
ful. If necessary they are good swimmers, and some 
sf>ecies are proficient at diving. Their chief resorts 
are the salt marshes along the seacoasts, and at low 
tide they are fond of wading on the mud-flats in 
pursuit of their food. They live on larvae and 
insects. They are, as a family, of a very sociable 
disposition; and this fact, added to their habit of 
flying in compact flocks, is the chief reason for their 
rapid decrease in numbers. A flock of snipe after 
being shot at, sometimes return and give the gunner 
another chance, and particularly so if some of them 
have been wounded by the hunter, and utter their 
plaintive whistle. 

The smaller varieties often congregate in 
immense flocks, and as many as twenty or more 
birds have been kifled with a single barrel, by pot 
hunters. One of the chief pleasures of beach-bird 
shooting is the endless varieties of snipe that come 
to the hunter's stool. Each of the species has a 
distinctive whistle or call, and the experienced snipe 
hunter not only knows the call of each variety, but 
can imitate it with remarkable skill. 



12 



When hunted continually, however, the beach 
birds become very wary, and it takes a master to 
whistle in an old "Beetlehead" or "tattler." The 
snipe is easily killed, and heavy shot is not needed. 
No. 9 shot, and even 1 0s are usually used. 

At low tide the birds are hard to approach, as 
they congregate on the great expanses of soft mud 
along our coasts. As the tide rises they fly inland 
to the large salt marshes. The hunter usually sta- 
tions himself in a good blind near a shallow pond, 
and as the birds are driven inland by the encroach- 
ing water, they offer many good shots to the hidden 
gunner. 

As beach-bird shooting is at its best in the late 
summer, the climatic conditions are far pleasanter 
than in duck shooting ; besides the mosquitoes and 
hot sun there is nothing to worry the hunter. The 
salt marshes are thirst-inducing, and the expe- 
rienced bayman always stocks his blind with a jug 
of cool water. 

There is something restful about shore-bird 
shooting. Nothing is more soothing than the sound 
of the summer wind rustling through the marsh 
grass, and of the surf pounding on some hard sea 
beach in the distance. Far at sea cat-boats are 
circling about a bluefish school, and the hunter 
becomes lost in watching the white sails until a yel- 
low-leg's whistle from the blue sky reminds him of 
his errand. The most difficult thing to learn in bay- 



bird shooting is the whistling or calling. Experience 
is the only teacher, and besides, a man must be 
especially gifted to acquire the art. Men who are 
bom and bred near the snipe marshes become 
adepts at calling, and there is no feat in bird shoot- 
ing more difficult than whistling a wary, black-bellied 
plover down from the blue sky. 



DECOYS 

All the beach bird clan decoy readily. Clam 
shells, or lumps of mud on sticks will answer some- 
times for a stool in out-of-the-way localities. The 
best decoys, however, are none too good, and 
these can be bought in any reliable sporting store. 
'^- Decoys of tin can be used, that are folding, and 
f'^^J^^ pack snugly in a small box. They are very handy, 
t^- -^? and serve their purpose well. In snipe shooting 
^^ — ^i^ the stool should be placed up wind from, and not 
I^^J-^ too close to the blind. 

^^5°"^-?' It is a good plan for the hunter to supply him- 
"^^^ self with a number of thin sticks before the hunt, 
'^' L«s«?^ «is the dead birds can be used as decoys by insert- 
ing one end of the stick under the head, and push- 
ing the other end into the mud. This is not really 
necessary, however, unless the stool is small. About 
20 decoys make a good stool ; the number depend- 
ing largely on the trouble the hunter wishes to take. 




It is a thrilling sight to see a large flock of yel- 
low-legs, or black-bellied plovers, decoying; and 
the exchanging of whistles between the flying birds 
and the hunter adds greatly to the sport. Flocks 
of small sandpipers will often alight among the 
decoys, and will prove a great help in decoying 
larger birds, if unmolested by the sportsman. 

The smaller species seem to realize the intelli- 
gence and watchfulness of the big snipe, and rely 
on them for warning in case of danger. The yel- 
low-leg has been given the name of " tattler " on 
account of its habit of warning other birds on the 
approach of a hunter. 



BOATS 

The flat bottom skiff is the best boat to use in 
snipe shooting. 

The hunter often finds it necessary to follow 
winding sloughs for long distances. Sometimes 
they are very shallow, or " peeter out " altogether ; 
and then he must drag his boat across the mud 
until another channel is found. 

Mud is the most unpleasant feature of beach 
bird hunting. It gets on the clothes, and gun ; 
and if the hunter is unlucky enough to slip and fall, 
it is doubtful if his best friend would recognize him. 
A good pole is often useful, as rowing is tedious in 
very shallow water. The boat should be light 

15 




enough for one man to drag, if necessary, and a long 
painter will be helpful in tying the boat at low tide. 



BOOTS 

Good hip boots are a comfort in snipe 
hooting. So much wading and mud-walk- 
ing must be done, that ordinary shoes would 
be useless. The boots should fit tightly, or 
the clinging mud will pull them from your 
feet. It is an exasperating thing to get stuck 
in the mud. The harder you pull on one 
foot to get it free, the more firmly planted 
your other foot gets ; at last, covered with 
mud and perspiration, you gain the bank, 
and make a solemn vow that the snipe marshes will 
never see you again. As a flock of snipe usually 
choose this inopportune time for decoying, you must 
be an enthusiast indeed to remain calm. But it is 
the clothes we wear that make us clumsy. A man 
can go through the stickiest mud without much 
trouble if his legs are bare. When the hunter is 
caught in quicksand, or a mud hole, he should pull his 
feet out of his boots ; then he can move more easily. 



TIDES 

A good knowledge of the tides is of great 
importance to the snipe hunter. It not only enables 

16 



him to navigate the net-work of sloughs with more 
or less comfort, but it also helps him in hunting. A 
stranger on some of our large snipe marshes would 
be practically helpless unless he was accompanied 
by some one who knew the flats and tides. 

The sportsman should be careful in tying his 
boat, as it is a common thing in water-fowl shooting 
to have it drift away and leave the hunter marooned 
on some marshy island. 

The writer remembers making a long swim in 
November, after an escaped boat; if you ever 
experience this kind of adventure, you will tie your 
boat securely ever after. 

In all large bays and winding water-courses, 
where the tides are strong, there are always eddies, 
or reaches, where the tide is either favorable or 
sluggish. Then again, a knowledge of the tides will 
help the hunter, and save him many a long and 
weary pull against the swift current. 



JACK SNIPE 



At the head of the snipe family, or scolopaci- 
dae, we have the American woodcock, and the 
Wilson's snipe. As the woodcock is an upland 
bird in all but family, we will pass him by here, and 
speak of the Wilson's snipe. 




y~j In his class there is no gamer bird than 
the Wilson, or, as hunters call him, the 
"jack" snipe. 

As he is rarely found in thick brush we will not 
compare him with the woodcock ; and no other bird 
in the snipe family can rival him. 

The most successful way of hunting "jacks" is 
with a good, steady dog. The jack "lies" well, and 
has a strong, erratic flight, that makes him a difficult 
mark to inexperienced gunners. After flying 20 or 
30 yards the jack settles down and flies more evenly; 
and the veteran snipe hunter waits if possible for 
this change, before discharging his gun. When 
flushed, it utters at intervals a loud " scaip ! scaip ! " 
Its flight is short unless badly frightened, and it can 
be marked down and followed by the hunter. The 
habits and haunts of the jack snipe are so easily 
affected by climatic and other conditions, that an 
intimate knowledge of its peculiarities is necessary 
to find and approach it. 

On windy days the jack is very v\dld ; its senses 
are so keen that it is most difficult for the hunter to 
approach within gun shot. Leave your dog at home 
in bad weather, and hunt down wind. In this way 
you can get some good shots ; as the jack will rise 
against the wdnd, or toward the hunter. 

On warm, sunny days, they lie close, and a good 
setter or spaniel is necessary to find and flush them. 

As a table bird, the jack snipe has no superior. 



18 



They begin their northward migration in March, 
and by July are scattered throughout the Middle 
States, and the far north, for breeding. In their 
migrations they are found from South America to 
the Arctic Circle; and many winter in our Southern 
States. 

They are to be found in low, marshy ground. 
A flooded cow-pasture is a favorite spot, but they 
haunt both fresh and salt water marshes. 



YELLOW-LEGS, BEETLEHEAD 
Etc. 

As the difference between the snipe and plover 
family is largely physical, and makes litde difference 
to the sportsman, I will speak of them as one. The 
principal birds that go to make up a shore-bird 
hunter's bag, are the yellow-leg, beetlehead or black- 
bellied plover, willet, dowitcher, robin snipe, and 
the curlews. 

The curlew is rare on the Eastern Coast ol 
America, but it is still quite plentiful in Central, and 
Western North America. There are several species 
of curlew; but they can be easily recognized by 
their large size and distinctive whistle. 

Their whistle is easily imitated, and they decoy 
readily. In fact, curlew often become confused 
when shot at, and return again to the hunter. They 
sometimes congregate in immense flocks during their 




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migrations, and " string out " in the manner of wild 
geese. 

Beach birds, after frequenting a marsh, usually 
fly in compact flocks, while the travelling birds, or 
"strangers," are apt to string out in the manner of 
ducks. The black-bellied plover, or beetle-head 
resemble the golden plover. They are found along 
our seacoasts and large inland waters. 

The upland plover, as the name implies, is found 
as a rule on inland hills and prairies. The best 
upland plover shooting in America today is enjoyed 
in Texas, during the winter months. Both the 
beetle-headed and golden plover are highly prized 
as food and game birds. At times the beetle-head 
is extremely shy and watchful ; whistling in a flock of 
these birds is always a difficult feat. 

They are found at times in the company of 
other beach birds, such as yellow-legs, willet, etc. 
They differ from the rest of the plover family in 
having a small hind toe. 

The yellow-leg snipe is found in North Amer- 
ica wherever there is water. This large and grace- 
ful beach bird decoys readily, and Is highly prized 
by epicures. 

They are found at times in large flocks, and 
mingle freely with other aquatic birds. 

The writer once saw a solitary yellow- leg 
vainly trying to keep up with a flock of green- 
winged teal ; but his efforts were unavailing, and he 
soon gave up the race 

20 



The principal draw-back to beach-bird shoot- 
ing is, that there are comparatively few places 
where the birds are numerous enough to make it 
worth while. 

On the Pacific coast especially, almost all of the 
snipe killed are shot by duck hunters. In the 
Autumn they alight in large flocks on the "flats" 
bordering the northwestern duck marshes. If the 
hunter who sees them is not having much success 
with ducks, he often attempts a stalk on the snipe, 
or plover, and "rakes" them while they are "bunched 
up." The Atlantic coast is far better suited for 
beach-bird shooting than the Pacific; due to the 
greater number of sandy beaches and shallow bays. 

The south side of Long Island is justly famous 
for its bay-bird shooting and under favorable con- 
ditions the sportsman can still get a fair bag. 

Beach birds are growing fewer every year, and 
good laws, strongly enforced, are necessary to keep 
them from being exterminated. Compared to our 
upland birds, they are easily killed. Their socia- 
ble nature makes them an easy prey to the market 
hunter. 

The only way to save them is to absolutely pro- 
hibit their sale and protect them during the Spring 
migration. Due to the rapid growth of our country, 
and the speed with which the wilderness is being 
settled, our game laws are inadequate. Even the 
breeding-grounds of our water-fowl are in danger 
unless laws are passed and enforced to protect 
21 




them. In Nortliwestern Alaska certain oreeding- 
grounds of water-fowl are regularly "picked" at 
short intervals. This wholesale destruction of eggs 
does untold damage. As matters stand now, the 
less shooting there is, the better chances we will 
have for a bountiful supply of birds in the future. 
Every sportsman should limit his bag, and get his 
enjoyment from the open air and the beauties of 
nature, rather than from the slaughter of these beau- 
tiful and useful birds. 








(30 

C 



-XWfJ ^'S^T^ 




CHAPTER II 



Hunting 

With 

the Rifle 



THE rifle is pre-eminently a long-range weapon. 
Throwing a single bullet a great distance, it 
at once becomes useful as a military arm, or 
to those who hunt big game. America is wonder- 
fully adapted to rifle shooting, and for many hundreds 
of years the sportsman will find game worthy of 
his skill. Two splendid game animals — the deer, 
and the black bear — will always be found near 
civilization, if well protected ; and a host of smaller 
animals furnish fine sport to the hunter. The killing 
of game is not the most important feature of hunting. 
In reviewing the pleasures of by-gone hunts, we find 
that the exercise, sunlight, and open air, all have a 
place in the sport. There is nothing that gives a 
man who is over-worked more solid enjoyment than 
a day spent with dog and gun. 

The skill that is required in hitting a rapidly 
moving target gives more pleasure than the death 

of an animal. 

23 




Target shooting can be enjoyed in almost any 
locality, and besides being an interesting pastime, it 
is a great benefit to veteran as well as embryo marks- 
men. The only danger in target shooting is that 
the marksman will become too slow and methodical 
in his movements for field shooting. The judging 
of distances is of great importance ; and the hunter 
should never lose an opportunity to improve himself 
in this respect. 

The average big-game animal killed is shot at 
short range. 

If it were not for the skill required in approach- 
ing them, and the fact that many of the shots are at 
rapidly moving targets, the sport would be far less 
interesting. The successful big-game hunter should 
be good at snap-shooting. Many people are of the 
opinion that small-calibre rifles are fitted only for 
target shooting. 

They are very useful in the field, however, and 
in the hands of a skilled marksman are almost as 
deadly as the larger calibres. Even along the 
Alantic coast there are animals that make a hunting 
trip worth while. All through New England one 
finds that alert and interesting animal, the wood- 
chuck. No country could be more pleasant 
than the rolling hills and shady apple orchards 
where the woodchuck lives. With a hand- 
shooting, small-calibre gun, one can spend many 
a pleasant hour stalking these animals. The 
target is small, as in woodchuck hunting the head 
24 



,1,^^^^^^ 





is the spot to aim for. If a woodchuck Is shot 
through the body, he often reaches his burrow and 
escapes, unless the hunter can find a shovel. 

Early in the morning when the sun first strikes 
the side hills, the woodchuck comes out of his bur- 
row, and suns himself; and this is the time for the 
hunter to be afield. 

In the lowlands we find the cotton-tail, and the 
successful rabbit hunter must exercise all the pa- 
tience and care of the big-game hunter. Trailing 
rabbits in a fresh snow is fine fun, and the eye must 
be keen and the hand steady that brings him to 
bag. A rabbit that is not badly frightened will 
often stop running if the hunter gives a shrill whistle; 
and this habit has cost many a cotton-tail his life. 
In the central states, and in certain parts of the 
west, rabbits are very numerous. The big jack- 
rabbit is also found, and furnishes splendid sport 
for the small-calibre enthusiast. 

In the western mountains we find the wood- 
chuck's big brother — Mr. Hoary Marmot. These 
animals grow to a large size, and living as they do, 
in very rugged country, offer many difficulties to the 
hunter. Their favorite haunts are the crumbled 
piles of debris at the foot of mountain rock-slides, 
and the steep mountain meadows where the bear 
and deer live. In Northern British Columbia the 
writer often ate these " rock-bears," and their flesh 
roasted over an open fire, is very palatable. Their 
skins are used by the Northern Indians in making 

25 



blankets, and their fat makes a good gun- or shoe- 
grease. Their sweet, long-drawn-out whistle 
echoes among the mountains from California to 
Behring Sea, during the summer time, and once heard 
will never be forgotten. The shrill whistle of a 
farm boy is enough to conjure up visions of glaciers 
and snow-covered peaks to a Western hunter. 

In hunting the marmot the hunter often encoun- 
ters larger game. The cougar invades the marmot 
country in the summer time, and proceeds to grow 
fat. They stalk the marmot among the stunted 
balsams until the deer begin to congregate in the 
lowlands. The cougar is an arrant coward, and 
easily killed; a .22 or .32 calibre bullet well placed, 
will prove as effective as a larger calibre. 

The writer once hunted marmot in Northern 
British Columbia, in a country where that splendid 
animal, the mountain sheep, could be seen along 
the rugged cliffs. 

The Canada lynx, and the bob-cat, also work 
towards the mountains in the summer time ; and 
that savage little animal, the wolverine, roams 
among the rock-strewn hills. 

Blue grouse feed among the mountain blue- 
berries, and offer tempting shots as they alight 
among the evergreens. 

On the high, wind-swept uplands, among the 
grey lichens and glacial drifts, the hunter finds the 
big willow ptarmigan, and the swift-flying " rockers. " 
Both these ptarmigan are a welcome addition to the 

26 




camp larder, and lead the hunter among beautiful 
surroundings. 

In winter and early spring hawks and owls are 
often found in the quail covers near civilization. 

The sharp shinned hawk in particular does 
much damage among our game-birds. In hunting 
these birds, the sportsman besides enjoying good 
practice v^dth the rifle, can save many bird lives. 
There are a few of the hawks, however, who are 
not only harmless, but do a great deal of good, as 
they destroy quantities of rodents, and that outlaw 
among birds, the English sparrow. The man who 
wages war on the owl and hawk tribe, should 
thoroughly familiarize himself with their different 
characteristics, lest he kill a sheep in a lion's skin. 

The wary fox is still found in good numbers 
near civilization, and is an ideal animal to hunt wdth 
the rifle. The fox is so well gifted in speed and 
cunning, that it is a hard animal to bring to bay. 
In overgrown farming country it is almost impossible 
to hunt him successfully. In certain localities, how- 
ever, such as the north end of Long Island, or the 
far West, cover is scarce, and he sometimes falls a 
victim to the hunter's skill and marksmanship. 

The time to still-hunt foxes near civilization is 
early in the morning, late in the evening, and on 
moonlight nights. All through the Northwest, and 
Alaska, foxes are numerous. Besides the red foxes 
other more valuable species are found. These 
animals are eagerly followed by the Indians, and 

n 



many are secured by trap and gun. The Indian 
who can hunt the black fox successfully, is looked 
up to as a great man by his people. The charac- 
ter of our country in the Northwestem mountains is 
rolling and sparsely timbered. The difficulty is not 
in seeing foxes, but in seeing them before they see 
you, and approaching within range. 

Indians as a class are poor marksmen, but some 
of these fox hunters become very good shots. If 
the hunter is well concealed, he can with favorable 
conditions, sometimes call a fox by imitating the 
squeak of a rodent. 

Calling, by imitating the squeak of a field mouse, 
can be successfully practiced on owls as well as foxes. 

The coyote, or prairie-wolf, is another animal 
that has withstood the advance of civilization. 
Traps, poison and guns have been tried, and yet 
the weird call of this prairie-wolf still echoes among 
the Western foot-hills. 

The coyote is always found in fairly open 
country, and is a most interesting animal to hunt. 
Under ordinary conditions they are seldom killed with 
the rifle ; but after heavy snows, and when they are 
overfed, they sometimes fall a prey to the still-hunter. 

Besides holding his own on the Western plains, 
the coyote has enlarged his range. In Northern 
British Columbia, and the far West, they are found, 
[ where ten years ago they were unknown. Most of 
the shots in wolf hunting are at long range, 
and of course if the first is a miss, the 
28 




following shots are at a rapidly moving target. 
Sometimes a party of cowboys will surprise a coyote 
in some narrow wash-out, or depression, and get very 
close to him before they are discovered. In these 
cases the cowboys* pistols come into action, and the 
coyote is represented by an indistinct grey streak 
headed for the horizon. The prairie-wolf is very 
fleet of foot. When cattle ranches grew common in 
the West, a bounty was put on wolves by the different 
states. Now-a-days, ranchmen often offer an extra 
bounty, and the " wolvers " as professional wolf- 
hunters are called, sometimes make a fair living. 
But the interest in wolf-hunting is largely due to the 
exciting rides across the sage-brush flats, and the 
long shots at wolves, where the bullets throw up 
white puffs of alkali dust. 

The big timber wolf ranges all over the West; but 
as most of the country they roam in is brushy or moun- 
tainous, hunting them would be a difficult matter. 

In the coyote country one is liable to see the 
sage-hen. This bird is the largest member of the 
grouse family found in America. They offer splendid 
shots to the sportsman armed with a small 
calibre rifle, and due to their even flight 
they are sometimes killed on the 
wing by expert riflemen. 
As a camp weapon 



the rifle-4«rihvaluable, and in every- 
day work the small calibres 

are the most satisfactory. The weight of ammuni- ^ 
tion is quite an item when travelling in the wilderness. 



Y 3M, 



V 



and a .22-calibre for pot shooting is always useful. 
It often happens that ptarmigan, grouse, or ducks, are 
plentiful in big game country. When armed with 
heavy guns, the hunters pass them by, as they are 
afraid that big game may be frightened from the 
vicinity by the loud reports of the large-bore guns. 
In a case of this kind the .22-calibre will come in 
handy, as its report will carry only a short distance. 
The writer used a .22-calibre Stevens in the Cassiare 
Mountains of British Columbia. On this trip we 
killed all the ptarmigan and grouse we wanted, and 
the gun made practically no noise. 

Besides keeping the larder full, it keeps a man in 
practice. In big -game shooting, the hunter goes for 
long periods without firing a shot. Even if successful 
he may only fire one or two shots a week, and the 
constant practice with the camp gun is of some benefit. 

The kilHng of big game with the .22 rifle is 
usually due to chance. There are many cases, 
however, where big -game animals have been killed 
by this small arm. Even Mr. Moose, the largest 
wild animal found in North America, with the 
exception of the Alaska brown bear, has frequently 
been the victim. A prospector killed a moose 
near the Alaska boundary line. I was in the 
country at the time, and near the place where the 
moose was killed. The prospector came out of 
his cabin early one morning, and saw the moose — 
a young bull — at a distance. A .22-calibre rifle 
was the only gun he had, but after a short stalk, he 
placed a bullet behind the moose's ear and killed it. 

30 




The writer has met but one man, however, 
who has made a practice of hunting big game with 
the .22 -calibre rifle. He is a citizen of Wrangel, 
Alaska, and does all his shooting with this small 
arm. He has been very successful, and has killed 
both moose and caribou. The hunting method 
he follows resembles that of the Indians. He 
approaches very close for the first shot, and counts 
on his accuracy with the small rifle doing the work 
instead of its smashing power. The only draw- 
back to this calibre is that in unskilled hands it 
would cause much suffering among the animals hit, 
as the shot must be admirably placed to cause 
instant death or disablement. 

The most distressing part of hunting is that 
occasionally a wounded animal escapes and dies a 
lingering death. The hunter should never allow 
an animal to die in this manner. I have seen an 
uneducated Indian travel mile after mile in pursuit 
of a wounded animal for no other reason than to 
end its sutferings. 

This crime happens less among real wilderness 
hunters than among sportsmen; and it should be 
carefully guarded against. 

When the hunting days are over, and the old gun 
is resting above the fireplace, our ideas on hunting 
change. The successful kill becomes merely an 
incident of the hunt; not a lasting pleasure. The 
living memories are of the long, wild days in the 
open, the glare of the Northern sun on ice-coated 

31 




mountains, and the sound of rushing water. 
Every camp we have made comes back 
to us; once more we hear the pack-horses 
feeding in the dusk, and the trout brook 
rippling among the cotton-woods. The 
faces of old camp companions return. 
Some are faces of friends grown rough 
, / from the wild life; others, narrow-eyed 
"'' and bronzed, are the faces of wilder- 
7» ness men — low- voiced Indians, and 
tfhZ% whites with no home but the mountains. 
Once more we feel the pack and 
"tump-line," and stagger weary into camp as the 
sun dips beyond the ranges. 

But there is no sting in an arduous task well 
done, and the memory of cold and sleet-numbed 
bodies brings no suffering. 

The man who has never pressed a rifle-butt to 
his cheek, does not know himself. Our wald side, 
handed down to us from the stone age, can only be 
aroused by warfare or the excitement of the hunt. 
Life in the wilderness is arduous, savage, and hard; 
but it is free as the mountain wind, and as open as the 
sky. The vsalderness man is rough; but he does 
things with his hands and by the sweat of his brow. 
He is a knight of the pack-strap and gun, and 
his generosity and courage are as boundless as his 
kingdom. And so when our thoughts drift back- 
ward towards the old days, they rest lovingly on the 
battered rifle — the "open sesame" of the wilder- 
ness, and the out- door man s best friend. 

32 




CHAPTER III 



The Shotgun 

THE shotgun now-a-days is purely a sporting 
arm. Being a short-range weapon it is of 
little use in big-game shooting in open coun- 
try. By this I do not mean that the shotgun does 
not shoot hard; at short ranges it is a powerful 
weapon, and loaded with ball or buck-shot, at mod- 
erate distances, it is as deadly as the rifle. It is 
the extreme long range of the modern rifle that has 
relegated the shotgun to the position of a small- 
game arm. 

The gauges commonly used in shotguns vary 
from the light 1 6-gauge, up to the heavy 1 0-gauge 
duck guns. The 1 6-gauge is a very light gun, and 
it is usually used for quail and snipe shooting; but 
some good duck shots use it. It is a satisfactory 
gauge for upland shooting. The 1 2-gauge is the 
most popular gun used, as it is strong enough for 
any game, and is still light enough for quick shoot- 
ing. 

The 1 0-gauge is purely a duck or goose gun, 
as it is too heavy to use in snap shooting in thick 
cover. 

33 



There has always been a controversy on the 
relative merits of the 1 0, 1 2 and 1 6-gauge guns. 
While the 1 0-gauge throw^s more shot than the 1 2 
or 1 6, the matter seems to be entirely one of indi- 
vidual tastes. Some men can kill more with the 
12 or 1 6-gauge, due to their lightness, and the 
ease with which they can be handled. 

Personally, I have never seen a 1 0-gauge out- 
shoot a 1 2-gauge in the field, even at ducks and 
geese: and I have been on many hunting trips 
where both these gauges were well represented. 
Despite the modern use of the shotgun, it is a splen- 
did wilderness arm. Its only drawback is the 
weight of the ammunition. 

As the hunter can use either shot or ball, he 
can live off the country with ease when the game 
is little hunted. In shooting for the pot a man can 
usually kill enough ducks or ptarmigan with a shot- 
gun to supply a number of men with food. 

The shotgun is accurate up to 80 yards, 
when loaded with ball, and will prove satisfactory 
in hunting big game. 

As our modern shotguns are usually choked, 
it is dangerous to ball without first measuring the 
size of the barrel. A good way of making your 
own bullets is as follows: 

Drive a wad through the barrel, until it is 
within an inch of the muzzle; then pour in enough 
lead to make a distinct mould. Send this piece 
to a bullet-mould maker, and have him make a 

34 



round mould of the same size. Now, as a bullet 
the same size of the mould would be heavier than 
necessary, you could lighten it in this manner. 
File a notch in the jaws of the mould large 
enough to fit a pin. When you pour lead into 
the mould, insert a pin in the notch, with a small 
round piece of cork on the end of it. This will 
make the finished ball hollow. When loading the 
ball in a cartridge, place the heavy end so that it 
will leave the muzzle first. 

This load will prove satisfactory on large game. 
In our Northwest the small game hunter often sees 
large game while hunting, and is at a loss to know 
what to do. In a moderately choked gun the 
" split Shell " can be used, and will prove a good 
charge for deer, black bear, etc. The best feature 
of the split shell is the rapidity with which it can 
be arranged, and the fact that the hunter needs 
nothing but a small knife to change his harmless 
shotgun into a big game arm. The way to cut a 
shell is to break the divisions through the wads 
that separate the powder from the shot. On look- 
ing at a shell we can see a slight swelling between 
the powder and shot; near the powder end of this 
swelling is the place to cut, and a little practice will 
be necessary to get the best results. After the 
shell is cut in two it is placed in the gun and fired. 

The shot end of the shell travels in one piece, 
and at a distance of 80 yards will penetrate well 
and make a terrible wound. 
35 




l#^ 




Care should be taken to leave a little piece of 
the shell uncut, as it will keep the shot end of the 
shell from sliding down the barrel prematurely and 
bursting the gun. The first time I tried a split 
shell I practiced on a target nailed to a tree, until 1 
found where to cut the shell to keep it from break- 
ing before it hit the mark. A few days afterward 
I was duck-shooting, and a large flock of blue-bills 
lit about 1 00 yards from my stool. They proved 
so attractive that several single birds that would 
have come to my decoys swung off and joined 
them. At last 1 decided to scare them away, and 
thinking of the " split-shell, " I shot one at the flock, 
aiming high, and to my great surprise, I killed one. 
^— There is danger, however, in shooting a split- 
shell in anything but a moderately choked, or cylin- 
der bore barrel. Buckshot are very satisfactory for 
big-game hunting; they carry well, and have a fair 
penetration; but big game hunting with the shot- 
gun will never be popular except in a very bushy 
country, as little skill is required to hit a large ani- 
mal with shot, at close range. If food is scarce 
the shotgun is indeed a valuable possession. 

For field shooting the most popular gun is one 
that has a cylinder right, and a moderately choked 
left barrel. Ducks are killed at longer ranges than 
upland birds, and their feathers are thicker; so a 
gun with a moderately choked right, and close 
choked left barrel, is used. 

Due to modern methods and machinery, there 
has been a long step made in the manufacture of 
firearms. Besides improving in construction, they 

36 



are more reasonable in price, and are put through 
the hands of experts before leaving the factories. 

A great deal has been written on how to shoot 
with a rifle or shotgun. Marksmanship is a fasci- 
nating study, and is always of interest to the sports- 
man; but the writer's experience has been that 
the more you use a shotgun the fewer theories you 
have about shooting. 

Shooting with a shotgun differs from rifle shoot- 
ing in certain particulars. Where rifle shooting is 
methodical calculation and precision, shotgun shoot- 
ing is guesswork and quickness. When a grouse 
thunders upward through the autumn leaves, the 
sportsman has a dim blur, occasionally completely 
hidden, for a target. Sometimes he knows where 
he aims, but usually he pulls the trigger when he 
" feels " the gun is pointing correctly. 

If a companion "pulls down" a high, strong 
flying mallard, and you ask him how much he led 
the bird, he will answer: "about six feet;" but he 
did not really measure the distance when he shot, 
but discharged his gun when he " felt " that the gun 
was aimed correctly. This guess-work or judg- 
ment enters largely into shotgun shooting. Many 
men shoot with both eyes open, paying more atten- 
tion to the mark than to the gun. 

One celebrated Western wildfowler shoots as 
easily from the waist, or hip, as he does from the 
shoulder. 

Shooting, with him, is a " feeling;^ he has no 
theories. When he feels his gun is pointing right, 
he " cuts loose. " 

37 




The beginner must " paddle his own canoe " in 
learning to shoot. He must practice faithfully, and 
trust in his own judgment; as no one ever learned 
to shoot from reading books. One thing is abso- 
lutely essential for good shooting, and that is a gun 
that fits the gunner perfectly. Men are built on so 
many different patterns that one gun will not suit 
every one. 

Your gun should be so balanced that when you 
put it to your shoulder it will " come up " exactly 
on the mark aimed at. The only good rule in 
wing shooting is to keep your gun moving 'wUh the 
bird until afier you shoot. 

If you have a cross shot at a fast-flying bird 
you will aim sometimes ahead of it. If you stop 
swinging your gun for a fraction of a second, on pull- 
ing the trigger the chances are that you will shoot 
behind the bird. As ducks are said to attain a 
speed of over 75 miles an hour, one can readily 
understand the importance of swinging the gun 
evenly, and the slightest delay in pressing the trigger 
will cause a miss. In upland shooting the hunter 
has many quartering, or straight away shots, in the 
open. In these cases, he can take his time, and 
hold as close as he wants to; but in swift cross 
shots, in heavy winds, he will have to rely on a kind 
of instinct, that tells him when to pull the trigger. 

One of the unexplainable things in duck shoot- 
ing is, that at times a good shot will be unable to 
hit anything. He gets "hoodoed;" duck after 
duck goes by, without one staying behind to warm 
the game bag. Usually this " spell " does not last 

38 



long, and the Hunter's experience begins to tell. 
The reverse is also true; sometimes a novice will 
" crumple up " bird after bird like a veteran until his 
luck changes. The man who has hunted exclu- 
sively with a shotgun, always finds it hard to change 
to a rifle. As a rule he " over shoots " at first, as 
he forgets the rear sight; but at running game, his 
knowledge of wing shooting comes to his aid. 

The writer once hunted big game with a shot- 
gun expert who seemed unable to hit anything with 
a rifle, until it began to move, and then he would 
shoot very well. 

Trap shooting is a pleasant sport, and if it is 
indulged in during the summer months, will help a 
man considerably when he begins to shoot in the 
field. While trap shooting differs in many ways 
from field shooting, it will help the sportsman in 
judging speed and distances. 

A shotgun is comparatively easy to clean. 
The barrels are large and smooth on the inside, and 
the cleaning rod can be inserted from either end ; 
but keeping a gun in good condition requires con- 
stant watchfulness. The right time to clean a gun 
is immediately after using it. To get a gun properly 
clean, it should be thoroughly overhauled at inter- 
vals of a day or two, for about a week. This 
should be done always when you are putting a gun 
away for a long time. 

It seems as if there was moisture in the metal 
that comes out and rusts, after a gun has been 
cleaned. Some men oil their guns thoroughly 
before putting them away, but this is risky, unless 

39 




the oil is of the very best quality. It is safer to 
have the gun perfectly dry, and the barrels stuffed 
at both ends with a clean cloth. 

Newspaper is useful in cleaning guns ; it removes 
rust, when used with oil and lots of elbow grease. 

Stevens Odorless Gun Oil is about the best gun 
oil made for both metal and wooden parts. It is a 
good plan to cover a gun with oil before going 
duck shooting, but the gun should be thoroughly 
wiped and cleaned after it is used, as it will be 
covered with sand and dirt. 

The beginner will attribute many of his misses 
to defective ammunition. He often begins to load 
his own shells, and keeps intricate accounts of the 
money he saves. It does not matter how long he works, 
so long as he saves ten cents' worth of powder. 

Of course it does him no harm, except the time 
wasted, but now-a-days shells are so cheap, and so 
much better than the average man can load, that it 
does not pay to experiment. 

Shooting is a sport that offers untold pleasures 
to those who follow it; and as most of us seldom 
get a chance to hunt big game, the shotgun becomes 
our favorite arm. 

With a good dog and gun, a man can wander 
off into the country and lose himself in the beauties 
of nature ; worry drops from his shoulders, and he is 
once more a boy. So long as there are trout streams, 
and rolling hills where the grouse and quail hide, 
there will be men who love far more a day well 
spent with nature, than money and the roar 
of cities. 

40 




^WL 



CHAPTER IV 



Wild Fowl 



WHEN the golden leaves of Autumn are 
covering Mother Earth for her long sleep; 
when the woodchuck and squirrel have 
prepared their snug winter homes, and the first cold 
winds have warned the wood folks of winter's 
approach, the long Vs of water-fowl start for their 
warm haunts in the Southland. Of all the move- 
ments of wild things, there is none more impressive 
than this grand, irresistible migration. All summer 
the lakes have been deserted, save for the marsh- 
wren, and blackbird. But with the approach of 
winter a change comes over the land. 
41 



From the dark pools at twilight comes the soft 
calls of the drake mallards, and from the open 
waters the whistle of widgeon. Night by night the 
sounds increase, until the air resounds with the 
clanging calls of geese, and the hissing of feathered 
phalanxes. 

This is the time when the devotees of the blind 
and decoy hie them to the marshes. 

It is possible to give the young hunter going on 
his first hunt a few suggestions that will be of value 
in a day's sport. But the really important features 
he must leam by experience. 

The most vital factor in a successful shoot is a 
good knowledge of the habits of wild fowl ; as here 
conditions change so that even the veteran gunner is 
sometimes at fault. Every move made in a day's 
duck hunting is based on what the hunter thinks the 
game will do on that particular day; and if his 
reasoning is sound, a heavy game bag will be his 
reward. 

When the novice for the first time crawls into 
a boat in the wee small hours, to row to the duck 
grounds, he usually wishes that he hadn't. It is 
pitch dark, of course; he hasn't enjoyed his quickly 
cooked breakfast; and the cold makes his teeth 
chatter. 

If there is any wind, his sorrow is unlimited: 
and yet this very wind — unpleasant as it may be — 
is what the veteran duck-hunter wishes for above 
all things. For it makes the birds fly low; then it 

42 



brings them from the open water into the flats and 
inland ponds; and lastly, it animates the wooden 
decoys. 

The first thing to be done on reaching the hunt- 
ing ground is to decide on a good place for a blind. 
Where clubs own large tracts of land that are 
reserved for the members, the blinds are quite sub- 
stantially built, and the members draw lots for their 
positions. But if we are hunting on large, unpro- 
tected marshes, the choosing of a blind is most 
important. 

First, we must have water to float the decoys; 
and also the boat, it there is no dry land to shoot 
from. As duck, though flying high, will usually 
follow a waterway, if is a good plan to keep close 
to some slough that runs across the marsh. The 
blind should be built immediately on arriving at the 
chosen spot. It should be low, and not too large, 
as of course the less attention it attracts, the better. 
After placing all the necessaries in the blind, the 
decoys must be put out; and there are many ways 
of arranging them. Then if the blind is on land, 
the boat must be taken to a distance, and hidden. 
All these preparations must be completed before the 
break of day, as the early morning and evening 
shooting is usually the best. 




BUNDS 

It is frequently the case, where wild fowl are 
numerous, that nature has provided blinds for the 
sportsman. 

Willows, and other shrubs, often grow near the 
ponds and sloughs where ducks congregate; and 
these natural blinds, with a little improvement, are 
usually very satisfactory. The duck hunter, how- 
ever, must be prepared for every emergency; and 
often the best shooting will be had where there is 
no cover. 

There are several ways of making blinds; and 
two of them have helped me on many a successful 
hunt. By cutting up and sewing together some 
gunny sacks; get a piece of sacking about 12x3^. 
Nail the ends into two sharpened sticks. Then 
with heavy twine make many loops in the cloth. 
These loops will hold the dry marsh grass or leaves 
that you use to cover the blind. 

On arriving at the marsh you make a circle of 
three or four sticks, according to the size you wish 
your blind to be. Then wrap your gunny-sack 
blind around them, and fasten it in place by pushing 
the sticks that are nailed to it, into the earth. Ar- 
range the height and size of blind to suit your pur- 
pose, and then pull 
^,-_- _^_-_^ .^ . handfuls of marsh 
^■r:^'^-^- ^.'--^-r'-A grass through the 
loops in the blind. 





This blind, when folded, makes a good cushion for 
a boat seat, and takes up very little room. 

Another very simple vv^ay of making a blind, is 
to take a strip of chicken wire, and after staking it 
in the right position, weave dry grass through the 
openings. 

DECOYS 

Hunting without decoys robs duck shooting of 
its chief charm. In shooting over a stool the ducks 
come of their own free-will, to the hunter. 

There is no sight more thrilling in bird shooting 
than that of a flock of wary canvas-backs circling 
closer and closer to where the hidden sportsman 
has placed his stool. Here, again, the knowledge 
of the habits of water fowl is necessary. 



NUMBER OF DECOYS 

Men differ radically concerning the correct 
number of decoys to use, but if the hunter follows 
the hints of the wild birds themselves, he cannot go 
far wrong. In the open water where birds congre- 
gate in " large rafts " to rest, sink boxes are neces- 
sary, and in this kind of shooting a stool of 1 00 or 
more decoys may be used. 

Inland, where the ducks fly in separate flocks, 
fewer decoys are needed, but there must be enough 




'Smm!^^-^ --"' 



.^^ 




to make a good showing. About 20 
decoys is a good number for shooting in 
inland ponds, as the number can be easily managed. 

In buying or making his decoys, the novice 
wonders which of the many types of ducks to take 
as a model. And, here, again, the stool depends 
on the kind of hunting they are to be used for. 

In open water, where diving for food is neces- 
sary, canvas-back, red-head, and berat (or blue-bill) 
decoys are the best, as any of these species will 
decoy freely to each other. Also golden-eye, buffle- 
head, and braut, vsrill swing in to a school of diving 
ducks. 

But inland, in the shallow, fresh-water ponds, 
mallard decoys are generally accepted as the best 
type, as widgeon, pin-tail shoveller, and teal, will 
come to a mallard stool. As a rule, in inland shoot- 
ing the sportsman does not see much of the diving 
ducks, such as canvas-back, red-head, blue-bill, etc., 
and the same rule holds good in open or salt water 
shooting, wdth the surface or shallow feeders, such 
as mallard, widgeon, and pin-tail. 



MIXED SHOOTING 

But in cases where good mixed shooting is 
enjoyed, it is possible to arrange a stool that will be 
attractive to all species. 



A very successful method of arranging a stool 
for mixed shooting is to use a stool composed of 
both diving and surface ducks. The mallard or 
teal decoys should be placed along shore, among 
the lilypads, or grasses, while the canvas-back stool 
should be placed in a compact flock in open vs^ater. 
I have on one or two occasions had excellent shoot- 
ing over a canvas-back stool arranged in the form 
of a V ; but whether my success was due to this 
particular formation, I am unable to say. 

In early morning shooting it is a good plan to 
spread the stool, placing some of the decoys in shal- 
low water as if they were feeding. In the middle 
of the day there is not much shooting as a rule, and 
a big stool in open water can be seen further, and 
often bring in a few birds. In putting out a stool, 
always put it up wind from your blind, as in alight- 
ing, all ducks fly against the wind, and in swinging 
the stool they will pass close to your blind. 



FITTING OUT A STOOL 

In fitting out a stool it is necessary to know 
where you are going to use them, as the anchors 
and string must be heavy and long enough for any 
conditions. The best method of making the anchor 
fast, is to take enough fish-line (about half the size 
of cod-line) and make it fast to one decoy with a 
loop of leather. The leather should be nailed on 

47 



with some non-corrosive nails. This rig will save 
you many days, as the anchor string won't rot. 

Any piece of lead will do for an anchor; but 
it is better to make miniature mushrooms by pour- 
ing hot lead around the ends of a twisted wire, as 
this rig will be less liable to tangle. 

In salt water wild fowling in the far Northwest, 
very long decoy strings are needed, as the fall and 
rise of tide is very great. 

It is a good thing on buying a stool to brand 
your name on the bottom of each decoy, with a hot 
iron, as all decoys are much alike, and, like an um- 
brella, are often mistaken for public property. 



BOA TS 

There are many styles of duck boats, and all of 
them are good. The principal necessary features 
are lightness, strength, and stability. As most wild- 
fowl shooting is done on marshes or flats, the boat 
must be shoal draft. It should be large enough to 
hold two men, a dog, and a medium stool. As the 
best shooting is enjoyed in the autumn, when fierce 
storms are apt to spring up at any time, a boat with 
a good free board is necessary, or if it is decked 
over, a good combing around the cockpit is a factor 
of safety. A long painter will often come in handy, 
also a small keg of fresh water. 



And in inland shooting particularly, a pole 
besides the oars, is often useful. Another good 
wrinkle is to have the knees of your boat the same 
width as the shells you use; for then when shoot- 
ing from your craft, you can use the inside strips 
for a shell rack. 



CLOTHES 

The clothes used on a duck hunt should be of 
very heavy, warm material, but the outside layer 
(and this will save you many a bird) should be of 
a protective color. Hip boots are necessary, as 
you will often want to kneel in shallow water. If 
you want gloves, get them large, so that you can 
throw them off by swinging your arm down quickly. 



GUNS AND AMMUNITION 

More is demanded of a shotgun in water-fowl 
shooting than in any other kind of hunting. The 
birds killed are large and strong; and their feathers 
are so thick and evenly grown that they amount 
almost to a shot-proof covering. A sound familiar 
to all duck hunters is the rattle of shot on the hard 
feathers of a high flying bird, which disappears in 
the distance none the worse for the lead shower. 
49 



Men differ as to the correct gauge for a duck 
gun. Some use the 1 0-gauge ; others, the 1 2-, and 
occasionally you find a man armed with a 1 6-gauge. 

The writer's experience has been that the mid- 
dle course is wholly the best, and that a 1 2-gauge, 
32-inch barrel gun, medium choke right, and close 
choke left barrel, will stop any bird that flies under 
any ordinary conditions. The 1 0-gauge is too 
clumsy a gun for anything but wild-fowl shooting ; 
and the 1 6-gauge is a little too light for ducks and 
geese, though it is an excellent upland gun. 



AMMUNITION 

When smokeless powder first appeared, many 
old, experienced sportsmen continued to use black 
powder, claiming that it was superior in a number 
of ways to the smokeless. But now things have 
changed. The roar of the old drive duck gun no 
longer echoes across the marshes, and from far and 
near comes the sharp, barking report of the modern 
breech-loader. Smokeless is a very quick powder, 
and in using it the gunner can hold much closer to 
his bird than with the black powder. 

As now-a-days ammunition is loaded so cheaply 
and evenly, it does not pay (unless one is very par- 
ticular) to load one's own shells. Besides, smoke- 
less is more difficult to load than black powder, and 
the chance of accident is greater. 

50 



This is reason enough for a novice to let smoke- 
less alone, until he has learned by experience just 
what charge he wants. 

SIZE OF SHOT 

Many different sizes of shot are used in duck 
shooting, and all are satisfactory, from the market 
hunter with his 1 0-gauge and No. 2s, to the sports- 
man with his No. 5s. In fact, the size of shot 
depends largely on where you are hunting. If it is 
late in the season, and you are hunting on salt 
water, you will need heavy shot and strong loads, 
something in the neighbornood of 3 s or 4s. But 
early in the autumn, when the birds are not in full 
feather, 5s or 6s will do. The writer has used 7s 
and even 8s w4th success, early in the year ; but 
ordinarily, this shot would be too light. Every one 
who has been afield, can remember almost impossi- 
ble shots they have made. Sometimes you will 
"crumple up" a strong flying canvas-back at an impos- 
sible range, with a charge of 8s ; and again, the 
heaviest shot seems too light. It is a good plan 
when going on a long hunt to take shells loaded 
with several sorts of shot. The smaller sizes will 
come in handy for killing cripples or an occasional 
yellow-leg, or Wilson's snipe. 

It is remarkable how a load of No. 8s will kill 
a cripple, when it is half under water, and at long 
range, and yet at flying birds they are unsatisfactory. 

51 



HUNTING 

One of the most pleasant features of water- 
fowling is the great number of methods open to the 
hunter. 

1 st, there is decoy shooting, where the hunter 
lies in wait for the bird with a bunch of decoys. 

2nd, there is pass- shooting, where the fowler 
stations himself between two large bodies of water, 
and shoots the water-fowl as they change their feed- 
ing grounds. 

3rd, there is point-shooting, where the hunter 
kills his birds as they are following the shore of 
lake or sea. 

4th, is the stalking, or " walking up " of the 
ducks as they are feeding in some marshy lake or 
slough. All these methods combine many varia- 
tions, and afford unlimited pleasure to the sportsman. 



SHOOTING OVER DECOYS 

There is much to be learned in decoy shooting 
besides the putting out of the stool and making the 
blind. 

One of the most difficult things to master is tell- 
ing when a flock of ducks has approached as close 
to the blind as they are going to. Often a bunch 
will swing around the decoys at long range, and fly 
to make a large circle and come sweep- 
close to the hunter. He who can read 
52 




the minds of ducks by their actions, must spend 
many a day on the marshes. At times some birds 
will swing in, giving the hunter a long but possible 
shot. If he hesitates for a minute, his chance is 
gone; and unless they turn again, he must sit sadly 
while the flock fades to a dim line in the distance. 
The greatest fault committed by beginners, how- 
ever, is that of shooting too soon; and many a 
splendid shot is lost in this way. There is always 
a moment when the decoying birds hang for a frac- 
tion of a section above the stool, or waver between 
a desire to alight, and a suspicion of their painted 
dummys. A wonderful picture they make with 
their graceful necks outstretched, v^ngs bowed, and 
feet hanging ; and this is the time when the hunter 
carefully picks out one chosen bird, and swings the 
old gun into line. 

The beginner will often find to his cost that no 
matter how full of birds the air looks, the holes 
between them are still more numerous; and that 
no matter how large the flock is, each duck shot at 
should be singled out clearly as the gun is coming 
to the cheek. 



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CALLING DUCKS 

It is possible for the hunter to develop some 
skill in the use of a duck call. While the call is 
not infallible in bringing in birds, when used judi- 
ciously, it will sometimes turn a wavering flock to 
the stool. Great care should be taken in the use 

53 




of the call, or it will serve rather to frighten than to 
attract the wild birds. 

When a flock is at a good distance, a few loud 
" quacks " on the call will often start them towards 
the stool. As soon as the flock has seen the stool 
and started towards it, the calling should stop, or at 
least be very subdued. Ducks when feeding often 
carry on a low, chattering conversation among them- 
selves, and many wild fowlers imitate this guttural 
chattering sound up to the time that the birds are 
within gun shot. I have often noticed that ducks 
are not frightened much by the human voice, when 
decoying ; and have even seen them come into the 
stool when the unprepared hunters were laughing 
heartily at some joke. The young sportsman, how- 
ever, should take much pains to keep still and well 
hidden, as the less done to take the duck's eyes 
from the decoys, the greater the chance of success. 

K 

PASS SHOOTING 

Point and pass shooting are very much in the 
same class. In both cases the ducks fly by the hid- 
den sportsman on the way to some feeding ground. 
In point shooting decoys are used but merely to 
attract the attention of the ducks and bring them 
a little closer to the hunter. Ducks seldom if ever 
come in to the decoys on an exposed point between 
feeding grounds. This form of hunting is interest- 
ing chiefly on account of the skill needed to stop 
the hard flying birds at long range. It is not my 

54 



purpose to go into the speed attained by flying 
ducks, as I have never had a chance to drive a 
flight. 

However, I have seen our slow flying ducks 
pass with ease a train in which I was riding, that 
was going at the rate of 60 miles an hour. 

Now, in point or pass shooting, the birds are 
travelling with a good start, under a full head of 
steam, and as the shots are of good length, the man 
who can get a fair average must be able to shoot 
well. 

Sometimes, in the Western States, the ducks 
move in such numbers that pass shooting requires 
little skill. Where there is a hill between two 
large feeding grounds, the ducks will often skim 
over it without rising to any extent in the air. And 
at dusk the hunter is sometimes afraid to stand on 
the crest lest one of the feathered bullets should 
strike him. 

At times, on good passes at the height of the 
evening flight, the wild fowl will be in such num- 
bers that their wings make one continuous hiss, as 
flock after flock pass to their resting grounds. 

"JUMPING" DUCKS 

Flushing, or "jumping" ducks, is a very pleas- 
ant sport. This method of hunting comes as a 
relief to the hunter who has been cramped in a 
blind all the morning. While the morning flight is 
55 




on, better success can be had with a blind and 
stool ; but as the flight begins to slacken, the hunter 
marks down the birds that alight near him, and 
goes after them on foot. The two things necessary 
for success in this kind of hunting, are : caution in 
approaching the birds, and experience in rising 
shots at long range ; as the birds are easily fright- 
ened, and rise so rapidly that the novice invariably 
shoots too low. A very successful method of 
"walking up" ducks is for two hunters to work 
together, about 60 yards apart. In this way many 
good shots are secured, and the birds are more 
easily found and retrieved. 



SINK -BOX SHOOTING 

Sink-box shooting is the least attractive form 
of wild-fowl shooting. In the first place, the hunter, 
being marooned in an anchored box, is dependent 
on others, and cannot change his hunting ground. 
The shooting is also done on one duck's resting 
grounds, in open water, and for this reason is, in 
some States, prohibited by law. 

Sink-box shooting, however, for men who live 
in large cities, is fairly good sport. Due to the 
difficulty of handling and keeping this outfit in good 
condition, it is usually owned by some professional 
hunter, who rents the box and stool to the sports- 
man. A certain degree of perseverance and hardi- 
56 



hood is necessary in this kind of shooting, as a sink- 
box on a cold day, with a stiff breeze blowing, is 
not very comfortable. 

The blind is nothing but a box sunk to the 
level of the water by decoys made of metal, and - 
by the weight of the hunter. Around the box are 
wings of canvas that float on the waves and keep 
the wash from entering the sink-box. 

A large stool is usually used, and in favorable 
conditions large bags are made. 

The birds killed are retrieved by a hired helper 
who waits down tide or wind and picks up the 
floating birds. 

In case of stormy weather the hunter signals to 
his helper, who comes and takes him off, as the box 
cannot stand much sea. 

Most of the ducks killed in sink-box shooting 
are the salt water or diving varieties. 



GOOSE SHOOTING 

Goose shooting stands by itself in the pursuit 
of fowl. 

Although ducks and geese are often found 
together, the best goose shooting is had on the dry, 
flat wheat fields of the far West, and Western 
Canada, where, due to the lack of water, ducks are 
not numerous. 

57 




While there are several ways of hunting geese, 
the most successful is that of digging a hole in some 
wheat field where the birds congregate to feed, and 
then shooting them over decoys. 

As the hole is dug, the earth is removed to a 
distance, and scattered about so that it does not 
show. The rim of the hole is then lined with a 
ridge of wheat stubble, and with the decoys in 
place, is ready for use. 

The hunter faces in the direction from which 
the birds are expected. The geese spend the night 
on some large body of water, often at a great dis- 
tance from the wheat fields. They fly to the feed- 
ing ground, and after getting their fill, return to their 
resting grounds. The decoys used in this kind of 
shooting are flat, and cut out of sheet metal of some 
kind. As the blinds are too small to admit of hold- 
ing many dead geese, they are usually staked out as 
soon as shot, and answer for decoys. 

This method of using dead birds as decoys 
may be employed in duck shooting as well as in 
goose shooting. 

A small stick sharpened or split at one end is 
all that is necessary. 

Take the sharpened end and push through the 
duck's head from underneath ; shove the other end 
• into the ground until the duck assumes a natural 
pose. If there is water, the stick must be longer ; 
and if a split stick is used, the duck's head is 
inserted into the opening. 

58 





Blue Grouse Shooting 



fLand 




Upland Shooting 

ANY one who is fond of nature will appreciate 
upland shooting. As the name implies, 
it is the hunt of upland game birds, and 
it differs in almost every respect from bay shooting. 
The principal difference is that in water-fowl shooting, 
the gunner sits still and lets the bird come to him ; 
while in upland shooting he goes after the birds. 

Storms and sleet no longer insure a good bag. 
Our tramps are over crisp stubble fields, through 
old, sweet-scented orchards, and the cool woods, 
where the autumn leaves lie thick. Instead of the 
long wedges of water-fowl driving steadily south- 
ward, we have some solitary grouse whirring away 
between the gray tree-trunks, or a bevy of quail 
bursting like a miniature bomb-shell from the corner 
of an old rail fence. One of the pleasantest 
features of upland shooting is watching the dogs 

59 




work. In all other bird shooting dogs are used 
principally as retrievers, but in upland shooting they 
do most of the work. This sport is at its best 
near civilization, as the birds are usually found in 
farming country. 

Ducks flourish in the bleak, northern wilder- 
ness, but not so our upland game birds. Besides 
the food they get from the grain fields, their natural 
enemies are fewer. 

* 

GROUSE AND WOODCOCK 

Probably no two upland game birds are better 
known and appreciated by sportsmen than the 
grouse and woodcock. They combine to a high 
degree those traits that make them worthy of the 
hunter's skill. The woodcock is a recluse, and his 
range is small ; but wherever there are trees and 
running water, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, 
we find the ruffled grouse or his brothers. 

Their movements seem shrouded in mystery. 
To-day, the alder thickets may be deserted, save 
for an occasional grouse ; and to-morrow the hunt- 
er's bag will overflow. In Massachusetts there 
are, as a rule, two flights. The first, coming about 
the time of the first frost, is composed of the birds 
that have gone far north to breed ; the second is 
the Northern flight. The birds composing the first 
flight are found in the alders and bottoms ; but the 
second flight birds, strange to relate, seem to prefer 
60 



the hillsides and oak thickets. The woodcock's 
whereabouts depend so largely upon climatic con- 
ditions, that the successful hunter must be a careful 
student of their habits, and thoroughly familiar with 
the country over which he is hunting. A man 
might live for years within easy reach of a good 
woodcock cover, and not see a bird. The range 
of the woodcock is very small compared with that 
of our other game birds. The principal flight is 
along the Atlantic States ; and they are never found 
in the West. The woodcock probes for its food 
with its long bill, and the holes or "borings" that 
they make while feeding can be seen in the soft 
mud in the bottom lands. 

The woodcock has a very tender skin, and is 
easily killed ; its flight is short, and it can often be 
followed and flushed again if it has escaped from 
the hunter. The thick brush is what makes suc- 
cessful woodcock shooting difficult, and the hunter 
must be a good snap-shot. The woodcock is 
unsurpassed as a table or game bird. The ruffled 
grouse is in the same class as the woodcock. No 
sound is dearer to a sportsman's ear than the drum- 
ming of a grouse as it drifts out on the quiet Indian 
summer air, across some sheltered valley. No 
sight thrills us more than a glimpse of the broad- 
tailed, golden bird whirring away through the 
leafless alders. With what pleasure we look back 
on the days when, accompanied by some faithful 
dog, we hunted the coverts. 
61 





The ruffled grouse, or " partridge, " as he is 
often called, is a brave and hardy bird. Besides 
the danger from hunters, he withstands the hunger 
and cold of long winters with fortitude. 

Buried underneath the snow, he hears the savage 
winter blizzards shrieking by, and when Nature's 
mood has softened, he breaks his way to the open 
air, and seeks his food. An old New England 
cock grouse is a difficult bird to bag. The meth- 
ods followed in grouse hunting are similar to those 
used in quail or pheasant shooting. The requisites 
are, a good dog, and a knowledge of the habits of 
the game. The habits of grouse are practically the 
same wherever they are found ; so from the West- 
ern States to New England, the same tactics will 
prove successful. Grouse are early feeders, and 
rarely come into the open except at dawn or dusk. 
Their food consists of larvae, insects, and different 
kinds of grain. In winter, when hard pressed for 
food, I have found them in orchards, pecking the 
remains of the apple-crop ; they also eat the tender 
buds of different trees. 

Grouse like the sides of brush-covered hills ; 
and the head of a brushy, well-watered ravine, is 
a favorite spot. In thick cover they are difficult to 
hit, and the hunter must be a good snap-shot to be 
successful. In fact, all upland shooting is quick 
shooting; the slow, methodical duck-hunter stands 
a poor chance in the uplands. On the Pacific 
slope, where the timber grows to a great height, 

62 



the grouse lives a good deal in the trees. In little 
hunted localities, a covey will remain in a tree 
while the hunter shoots them, one by one, provided 
he shoots at the bird that is nearest to the ground ; 
but they soon learn that a perch is no protection 
against firearms. 

The most successful grouse hunters are the men 
who hunt the same localities every year. They 
learn the whereabouts of every covey, and know 
where to find them at any time in the day. Some 
grouse are domestic birds, and refuse to leave a 
certain locality, no matter how much they are 
persecuted. 

This is a dangerous trait, as sooner or later 
they make a mistake and go home in the hunter's 
pocket. 



QUAIL 

Quail shooting in a well-stocked country is 
fascinating sport. As quail are usually found in 
bevies, there is more dash than in grouse shooting. 

Quail, like the grouse, abound in the United 
States ; and are even more plentiful, as there are 
some desert varieties that thrive in the Southwest, 
in country where grouse could not live. Along the 
Pacific coast there are several species of quail ; the 
California valley, and mountain quail, the "Bob 
White" and a sub-species or two. 
63 




The Bob White has been planted within the 
last few years, and seems to be doing well. The 
California valley quail is slightly smaller than the 
"Bob White;" it frequents the sides of rugged foot- 
hills and the heads of brushy canons. 

The California birds, while furnishing fine sport 
for the lovers of dog and gun, do not lie as well as 
their Eastern brothers, and consequently, the man 
who makes a good bag must be sound of wind 
and limb. 

I have seen an old dog who was well broken 
on "Bob White," completely lose his temper and 
self-respect, when hunting Western quail for the 
first time. After staunchly pointing several coveys 
that had "run out of the County" by the time we 
arrived, he attempted the tactics of the greyhound, 
and tried to run them down, much to the mortifica- 
tion of his doting owners. 

Quail love farm lands. Any old wheat, oat, or 
barley field, with brushy edges, and brier-covered 
fences, is a favorite spot. 

A good dog, and practice, will make any man 
an enthusiastic follower of this delightful sport. 




^-. "PRAIRIE CHICKENS" 

The pinnated grouse, or "prairie chicken," is 
a splendid game bird. It is found in the greatest 
numbers in the wheat country bordering the great 

64 



plains. As the country is settled the prairie chick- 
ens increase in numbers, due to the improved food 
supply and added protection from their natural 
enemies. 

As the prairie chicken is found in open country, 
wide-ranging dogs are used, and the hunters often 
follow in a wagon. When the dogs "make game" 
the hunters alight, and the fun commences. 

The prairie chicken is not a difficult bird to 
hit, as its flight is even. In fact, it flies in much 
the same manner as the meadow lark ; beating the 
air with its wings, and " sailing " alternately. When 
the birds are fat they do not fly a great distance, 
and can be "marked down" easily, and followed. 
When unmolested they become quite tame, and 
can be approached by a man on foot, and killed 
with a riHe. 

As the country changes, and wheat gives place 
to sage-brush, the prairie chickens are not so plen- 
tiful. The sage-brush, however, is the home of our 
largest grouse, commonly known as the "sage hen." 
The "sage hen" is not very good to eat, as they 
are found in the Western deserts, and their food 
consists largely of the tender tips of the sage-brush. 
This makes them taste sagey, and they are apt to 
be tough. A young sage hen is fair eating if it is 
drawn immediately after it is shot. As a game 
bird the sage hen is not a success, as it is not very 
plentiful. 



65 




r^ 




They are usually killed by the plainsmen who 
stumble on them while hunting or traveling. 

As one moves towards the Western mountains, 
climbing up from the land of the sage-brush to the 
everlasting snow, you at last reach the hunter's 
paradise — the "park lands." The parks usually 
lie near timber line, and consist of beautiful glades 
and openings in the forest. This is the land of 
running water; of grand mountains, and game. 
Among the parks the hunter will find bear, wapati, 
black-tail deer, and the blue grouse. Blue grouse 
are rarely molested. In the mountains where they 
are found in great numbers, they are seldom mo- 
lested, as big game is also plenty ; the hunter desist- 
ing from grouse shooting lest he drive larger game 
from his neighborhood. 

Along the Pacific coast grouse shooting is a 
favorite sport. This bird is larger than the ruffled 
grouse, and of a dark, blueish-gray color. A cock 
blue grouse that the writer killed in the Cascade 
Mountains, weighed five pounds. 

The blue grouse is a tree loving bird, and 
spends most of its time during the winter in the tops 
of large trees. This probably accounts for its not 
growing a snow-shoe, like the ruffled grouse. It 
feeds early in the morning and at dusk. At sunrise 
it takes its bath in some sandy spot, where the sun 
strikes ; and this is the time to be afield. With a 
good dog, these morning tramps through the grassy 
glades, where the dogs show white against the dark 
hills, will never be forgotten. 

66 








It seems incredible that in a 
country as well suited for wild game 
birds as ours, there should be any 
danger of their extermination. 

With a few simple laws, we 
enforced, we would have an unlim-/^j 
ited amount of birds for years to 
come. But, outside of the selling of game, no laws 
should be needed. No man who is interested in 
birds can indulge in "Spring shooting." No man 
who has any self-respect, will load himself down 
with more birds than he can use, or sell game. 

Now, if all of us refrained from selling game, 
from Spring shooting, and unnecessary slaughter, we 
would need no game laws. The game butcher is 
the enemy of all self-respecting sportsmen, and 
should be treated as such. There are two more 
enemies of our game birds that we are all familiar 
with; the cat and the trap. People who have 
never studied cats, or ivho oivn ihem, would not 
believe the damage that these animals are guilty of. 
The slaughter that they commit among our song 
birds is bad enough; but when they destroy our 
noble game birds, they are indeed a curse. I have 
tracked many a farm cat in winter, and the trail 
almost invariably ended in feathers and blood. 
Every hunter has surprised cats on good quail 
ground, far from any habitation. These cats are 
practically wild, and live largely on our song and 
game birds. 

67 



There is only one way to treat cats and traps 
when they are in the woods, and that is to destroy 
them. 

Traps for catching quail are often set by 
country boys who do not realize the damage they 
are doing. When they find a trap destroyed, it 
usually makes an impression on them and stops 
their wrong doing. Hardened offenders, however, 
need stronger methods ; and it is every sportsman's 
duty to see that they are punished. 







68 




CHAPTER VI 



A Brief History 
of Firearms 



WHEN man first inhabited the earth, and 
wild animals were numerous, very rude 
methods of hunting proved successful. 
As time passed, and men increased, game was more 
difficult to approach and capture, and the need of 
a weapon that would kill at a distance, was felt. 
Then some pre-historic genius, from a strong staff 
and a piece of sinew, made the bow. 

Others found that they could hurl rocks to a 
great distance by placing them in a shallow pouch 
at the end of two thongs; and thus they made the 
sling. But it was the discovery of gunpowder in 
the XlVth century, that sounded the knell of the 
spear and the bow, and made the deadly firearms 
of modern times possible. 

But as it was with the bow, so it was with the 
gun. Game became more difficult to approach, 
and wars demanded improved weapons ; until to- 
day we have guns that kill further than the eye can 
sight the mark, and that shoot with unnecessary 

rapidity. 

69 





When we read the history of the Western 
Hemisphere, from the time when Columbus and 
his followers broke its long sleep with the roar 
of their match-lock, we cannot but notice 
what an important part firearms played in 
settling the great land. Imagine the stolid 
Dutch fighting the treacherous Iroquois 
with their own weapons; or the settler, unarmed, 
driving westward his plodding ox-team, when the 
great plains teemed with buffalo-hunting savages. 
Unjust as our dealings with the Indians may seem, the 
settling of that wilderness without powder and blood- 
shed, would have been a difficult matter. Besides 
hating the whites for taking up their land, and slaugh- 
tering the buffalo herds, the red men, like the knights 
of old, looked on war as a pastime, and a means 
for gaining advancement and honor. The young 
" brave " was not a man until he had scalped an 
enemy killed in battle. 

Since the war of 1812, Americans have won 
world-wide fame for their skill in the use of fire- 
arms. From the early wars, when our weather- 
worn frontiersmen drove back the English, and the 
Indians, our success has been the result of splendid 
marksmanship. 

The gun that made our country what it is, that 
gave us our independence, and was the "open 
sesame " of the " dark and bloody ground, " was 
the old long-barrelled muzzle-loader. This old 
gun was as much an American institution as the 

70 




log schoolhouse and the " old oaken bucket; " and to 
this day, with the bullet-pouch and powder-horn, in 
remote communities, it still hangs in the place of 
honor, over the old fire-place. 

This gun was a splendid arm, and with it the 
followers of Boone and Crockett began the advance 
that has since spanned the Pacific. Out -door 
sports were heartily encouraged by the early pio- 
neers. Shooting competitions were very popular, 
and the cream of the frontier marksmen gathered 
at these times. The match was usually for some 
prize, and often remarkable skill was shown by the 
competitors. 

The improvement in firearms went on slowly, 
and the introduction of the cap gun was the first 
important step towards the modem metallic car- 
tridge. 

But before we leave the old muzzle-loader, I 
should like to say a word conceming its efficiency. 
Even at the present time, there is no firearm better 
suited to a wilderness trip than the old percussion- 
cap, muzzle-loader. Within reach of civilization, 
where ammunition can be secured easily, modem 
guns are, of course, far better and more trustworthy. 
But when a hunter is making a long trip through 
the wilderness, and is dependent for his meat on 
what he kills, there is no gun more useful than the 
muzzle-loader, because of the lightness of its ammu- 
nition, and the variety of charges that may be used. 

71 





In the old days, when an Indian bought a gun 
from a trader, he would stack beaver skins around 
the arm until the pile was level with the muzzle. 
The gun then belonged to him, and the trader took 
the skins. But it is interesting to know that in these 
days of invention and science, the flint-lock has held 
its own ground ; and that in the great country that 
lies along the Arctic ocean, roar of black powder 
still startles the caribou herds, and rumbles along 
the mountain sides. 

After the Civil War, guns underwent another 
change. As we are all familiar with modern arms, 
it is not necessary to describe the different patterns. 
The modern gun has, however, given us two 
important points: that single-shot rifles are unsur- 
passed for accuracy, and that smokeless powder is 
superior to the black powder. 

The story of the settling of the West is one 
long list of valorous deeds. 

The frontiersmen and Indian fighters were a 
hard and unruly class of men; but this is true of 
every community where " might makes right, " and 
where the only law is the survival of the fittest. 
Even the so-called " bad men " were often men who 
killed in self-defence, and who possessed many rude 
virtues. 

These men were always armed. In serious 
work, in the open, they used the rifle, but for close 
quarters they preferred the pistol. The pistol is, 

11 




of course, a short-range arm, but in the hands of 
an expert it is a dangerous weapon. 

Some of the feats that the frontiersmen per- 
formed with the pistol were truly remarkable. As 
the life was free, and the country new, shooting 
scrapes were sure to result, and many a desperate 
fray was waged in the frontier cattle towns. 

As a rule, these fights were between individuals. 
Sometimes, however, trouble arose between rival 
ranches, or towns, and then, indeed, the fighting 
was serious. 

As the country became settled, men were 
appointed to enforce the laws. These sheriffs were 
chosen for their courage, indomitable will, and 
skill in the use of firearms. Sometimes they were 
men who had themselves made "records;" and 
some even were desperadoes, who, once reformed, 
did yeoman's service in suppressing their unruly 
henchmen. It can be easily understood that with 
horse thieves, hold-ups, catde-wars, cowboys and 
buffalo-hunters to contend with, the lives of these 
peace -promoters were rather uncertain; particu- 
larly as their notoriety made them the butt of any 
drunken desperado who had confidence in his own 
skill with the pistol. 

With the coming of railroads the Indians 
and game were driven back, and as the 
country was settled, enacted law took 
place of the gun and lariat. To-day 
73 






there is a growing interest in and appreciation of 
firearms. 

The strength of a nation depends on the 
strength of its people. One of the strongest reasons 
for our boys and young men becoming skillful in the 
f use of firearms is, that at any time they may be 
called upon to protect their flag and homes. A 
man who will not fight for his country, if the need 
arise, is, of course, to be despised. But a man who 
knows nothing of firearms, is, for a time at least, 
almost as useless. To-day, an army of sharp- 
shooters, even with conditions against them, have 
the best chance to win, as modem warfare is car- 
ried on at long range. The other advantages to 
be obtained by the use of firearms are physical. 

There is probably no life more beneficial, phys- 
ically, for a man, than the life of a hunter. Besides 
building up the muscles and sinews, it produces 
those traits of character necessary for success in life. 
Frontiersmen, the world over, are noted for their 
hardihood, courage, and resourcefulness. 

Nature has been lavish in stocking our country 
with wild animals. Since the world beg<ui, man 
has been interested in the chase. 

Originally, the desire to kill came from the neces- 
sity of procuring flesh and skins to sustain life. Now, 
it is handed down to us in the form of an instinct, 
which is accentuated by a longing to escape the 
frenzied life of our large cities, and enjoy the beau- 
ties of nature. The fascinations of a hunter's life 

74 



are many, and particularly so to the man who has 
to spend a good part of his life in civilization. 

Every year finds an increase in the number of 
men who go to the wilderness. Some merely spend 
their vacation "roughing it;" but there are a few 
who return to the wilds as to a magnet, fighting the 
faces of nature for the love of it, and penetrating 
into rough and unknown ranges. There are many 
reasons for this : the instinctive love of adventure 
that we are born with, and the desire for action and 
excitement. 

The physical strength engendered by the chase, 
appeals strongly to some men ; and the fickle god- 
dess of fortune leads others through forest and valley 
in pursuit of the yellow metal. 

But whatever your purpose is, be it the pursuit 
of gold or adventure, the rifle is your surest com- 
panion. 



» 



MARKSMANSHIP 

Of course every one who handles firearms is 
ambitious to become a good shot. But marksman- 
ship is a misleading word, and may have many 
different meanings. First, we have the marksman 
who devotes himself entirely to the target. Here is 
a man who has trained himself in a machine-like 
regularity. He knows from the flag where each 
bullet hits, and shoots his next shot accordingly. 
He shoots at known ranges continually, and knows 

75 





gauge. 



to a hair how to sight his gun for each 
distance. Each individual target is shot at 
from one position, and under the same 
conditions. This enables him to use a wind 
This practice is usually at certain times in 
the day, and therefore he is used to having the sun 
in a certain position. And lastly, he shoots at a 
brilliant mark, and can take his time. 

The hunter's marksmanship is totally different. 
Instead of having things arranged for his comfort, he 
almost invariably has conditions against him. 

The sun may be in his eyes, or the gloom of 
storm or forest may blur the sight. The savage 
mountain winds will blow his front sight half an inch 
from the mark, and the cutting sleet will drive into 
his face. He must judge every distance under very 
difficult conditions, and a miss is a lost shot, as he 
can seldom tell where it struck. A wind gauge is 
useless, as he is constsmtly changing his position; and 
his hand is often shaky from physical exertion. And 
to make matters worse, his mark has a protective 
color ; is seldom motionless, and hardly two shots are 
ever fired at the same range. The result is that 
hunters, as a rule, use the simplest sights, and shoot 
quicker than for target shots. 

It is a matter of knowledge that good target 
shots are frequently poor shots in the field. .This is 
due to the fact that the target shot is unused to 

76 



-'-''S^.-.-.HT^v'"-- '- 



^.^^^W9*^S^^^ 



adverse conditions, or rapidly moving ranges, and is 
in the habit of taking his time. 

I have repeatedly seen game killed by field shots, 
by snap shooting, where target shots were helpless. 
My first experience with a really expert field shot 
was in Southern Alaska, and is a good example of 
the skill that can be developed in off-hand shooting. 
As we were crossing a small glade, a spike-buck 
jumped from his bed on the edge of the timber. 
He was about a hundred yards away, and was out 
of sight in an instant. 

My companion took a snapshot at him, and, as I 
thought, missed. On reaching him, to my surprise, he 
said: "I pulled on his shoulder, but held a little too 
high; he'll drop, though, inside of two hundred yards." 

It was as he said. The shot was fair in the 
shoulder, but about six inches high. 

Of course what is true of target shots in the field, 
is also true of field shots at targets. Target shooting 
is excellent practice for the beginner, but tends to 
make him stale if carried to excess. The boy who 
is learning to shoot should familiarize himself with 
all sor«:s of targets under all conditions. If he is 

77 



gifted, and shoots infrequently, he will be what is far 
better than an expert in one branch of shooting — 
" a good all-around shot." Even among one class 
of marksmen you often find a marked individuality. 

Fzunous shots are not made; they are born. 
Yet it is possible for any man to become a good 
marksman. 

The sooner one begins, however, the easier it is 
to learn to shoot, and to absorb the principles that 
render accidents impossible. It is well known that 
the majority of "gun accidents" are caused by men 
who are inexperienced. 

The Boers of South Africa are an example of 
men who have developed into splendid marksmen 
from constant shooting in the open. 

One of the most important factors in good shoot- 
ing is a clean gun. This fact should be drilled into 
one in early youth, as it then becomes second nature. 
Cleaning guns, particularly in the field when one is 
tired and sleepy from the day's sport, is often a 
nuisance. The time to clean a gun is immediately 
after using it. It is easily cleaned, then, and the 
longer you wait the more difficult the task is. There 
are many cleaning oils made, and all are fciirly satis- 
factory; but the best gun-cleaning ingredient yet 
discovered, is "elbow-grease." 

It is always appropriate to end a yam about guns 
by a warning against carelessness. 

78 



Care in handling firearms should be taught every 
boy as soon as he is old enough to raise a gun to 
his shoulder. How to hold a gun, extract shells, 
get over a fence, take a gun from a boat, and clean 
a gun — all this, and much more, he should know. 

Hunting in the open is a more serious proposition. 
The ease with which a man can make terrible mis- 
takes in the field, is terrifying. In country near 
civilization, even an experienced man must use the 
greatest caution, lest he mistake a human being for 
game. 

A true story, told me by the chief actor in what 
nearly proved to be a tragedy, shows how liable we 
all are to this mistake. Two experienced hunters 
left camp early one moming to hunt deer. One 
went to due south, the other to due north. The 
one who went south, immediately found a fresh 
buck's track, which led him in a large circle to the 
north. When about four miles to the north of the 
camp, he found he had lost his knife, and back- 
tracked to the place where he thought he had 
dropped it. The place was a small 
thicket, and he got on his hands and 
knees, and followed his trail, looking 
for the knife in the soft snow. The 
hunter who had gone north, orig- 
inally, travelled very slowly. At 
last he topped a small ridge and 

79 




looked over. In a patch of brush a hundred yards 
away, he saw a brown object, shaped like a deer, 
moving slowly through the brush. Further on he 
saw fresh tracks, and his hunter's knowledge told 
him that the brown object was a young buck tracking 
a small band of his own kind. The hunter was a 
splendid marksman, and drew a bead on the deer's 
head, and was about to press the trigger, when 
something about the deer's movements made him 
stop. At the moment the deer stood up. It was 
his friend, and he had just found his knife. 




"f?.hi5. 




The Wilderness Hunter 



CHAPTER VII 



The Wilderness 



THE tfciil is the one human artery that beats 
in the wilderness. 
As the life of a man is in the wildemess, 
so is the trail. All the human sufferings, hardships, 
and dangers, sought and mastered by the advance 
guard of civilization — the trail builders — are reflected 
in every tortuous curve of the dim path. As the 
hunter w^ith the call of the w^ilderness in his ear, 
pushes beyond civilization into the wild land, and 
beyond again into the unknown, the trail writes down 
in living letters the story of his joys and sorrows. 

Take twenty experienced frontiersmen, and send 
them one at a time through an untrammelled wilder- 
ness to a given point, and on comparing the trails, we 
would find that the majority had followed practically 
the same route. This route is always the 
line of least resistance, and in following it we 
wa ' take the wild animals as teachers. When 
|M big game animals first enter a country — and 

^^«\ *^^y ^^^ always changing their feeding- 
^^ ^ grounds — they do not know their surround- 
^^ ings, and consequently travel to and fro by 

81 



m. 




instinct. Their movements are also affected by the 
character of the country, and they follow the easiest 
natural route to their destination. In time they beat 
down trails and discover the safest fords, until their 
system of roads is complete. 

Then come the hunter and prospector. They 
do not know the country, and use the trails the wild 
animals have made. With the rattle of firearms 
comes the "tank-a-tink" of the pack-train bell, and 
the trails are widened and flattened by the hoofs of 
mules and horses. As the country becomes settled 
the trail changes to a road; and at last, where once 
the moose and wapiti called and bugled, nature's 
music is drowned by the scream of the locomotive. 

This all goes to show that trails are not made 
in a night and that the man who can pick out the 
best road through an unexplored country must have 
a liberal wildemess education. 



WOOD AND In wilderness travel, three things 

WA T^R are absolutely necessary to ensure 

success and comfort, — wood, water, and feed. By 

feed, I mean grass for the horses. Pack animals 

are used so often in this work, and so much depends 

on their ability to travel, that all comfort should be 

sacrificed, if necessary, to ensure 

their getting good food. The 

experienced hunter or explorer 

thinks first of his pack animals, 




and lastly of himself. However, good camping places 
can usually be found, and add largely to the pleas- 
ures of wilderness life. 




NEATT/ESS AND The hardships of wilderness 
ORDER travel are many, and what small 

physical comfort is enjoyed is gained by the sweat 
of the brow. For this reason, an orderly camp is 
a long step towards comfort. It is not personal neat- 
ness that counts, however, but the arrangement of 
your camp. Every detail should be carried out 
systematically, from the unpacking of your horses to 
the arrangement of your beds for the night. I have 
been in camp with men whose personal neatness 
was a hindrance as they would keep a whole pack 
train waiting while they roped up a small pack. 
These same men would unblushingly leave all 
the pack harness scattered about, and the dishes 
unwashed. 

After seeing that the horses are comfortable is 
the time for arranging camp. As some put up the 
tent or fly, others prepare the evening meal. As 
long as there is anything to do in camp, keep busy, 
and when at last darkness comes, and the pipes glow 
around the camp fire, your happiness is complete. 

Camp making changes little from day to day, 
and by making camp in an orderly way, you will 
save time, hard work, and worry. 
83 





^_^_„ On long trips your tent is the only 
protection you have from the ele- 
ments. From north to south men are living in these 
light shelters, suffering alike the blizzards of the 
north, and the heat of tropic lands. As can be 
imagined, a shelter that has so many requirements 
must be built on many different patterns. But vv^hen 
all is said, the best-known type to-day is the common 
wall or A tent. 

This tent is easy to put up, and is comfortable, 
and can be packed into a fairly small space. There 
are several varieties of the wall tent, all of which are 
satisfactory, and any tent purchased from a good 
outfitter, will serve its purpose. 



_. j.p„ The fly is the ideal shelter of the 

wdlderness hunter, and where a 
man must travel light, and at times carry his own 
duffel, it is without an equal. A fly properly slung 
gives almost as much shelter as a tent, and to my 
mind is more cheerful, as one is not completely shut 
in, and can see the beauties of nature about him. 
With tents, one uses a small stove, but with a fly, 
the camp fire is more useful. 

There are many ways of putting up a fly, and 
the experienced woodsman will see at a glance 
which one of the many suits best the camping 
place he has chosen. As a rule, it is slung with 
the highest part toward the fire, and sloping down 
84 




toward the back in the shape 
of a reflector. I have spent months in the wilder- 
ness with nothing but a fly for shelter; and to my 
mind no time is pleasanter than the evening hours, 
when, talking with your companions, you lie back 
on the bough beds and watch the sparks from the 
balsam fire drift off into the night. 

The fly is only useful where wood is abundant, 
and in sparsely wooded country, such as the Behring 
Sea coast, a tent and stove are necessary. The fly 
takes up very little space, and can be rolled up to 
suit any pack. 

Men in the wilderness have used flies suc- 
cessfully in making boats when caught without 
food, or crossing rivers in flood time. 




FIRES 



A poor fire, made from punky, 
damp wood carelessly thrown 
together, is, besides being a strain on the temper, a 
source of possible serious trouble. A fire made 
like a pile of jackstraws is apt to collapse at any 
minute, and precipitate pots, pans, and food into 
the flames. Besides, it is a waste of wood. 

The first things needed in the making of a good 
fire are fire-dogs. To have your wood burn 
clearly and evenly, and give out the greatest amount 
of heat, you must have it raised from the ground. 
Fire-dogs made of rocks, or pieces of green wood, 
are easily obtained, and simplify camp cooking. 
85 



STOVES 



There eire several kinds of stoves 
made for camping, and they all 
serve their purpose. 

They are practically the Scime, only differing 
sKghtly in construction. The features necessary are 
strength and compactness. The stove-pipe should 
be in short lengths, telescope, and fit in the oven. 
There should be no legs, or any protruding parts of 
any kind, as they would be broken in transporta- 
tion. Almost all camp stoves heat up to an extent 
that makes baking bread difficult. This feature 
may be overcome by placing pebbles on the floor of 
the oven and cooking the bread with the door of 
the oven slightly open. Some stoves are made with 
the oven separate. The oven, in this case, fits on 
the stove-pipe, but it is inferior to an oven in the 
body of the stove. 

Before making a fire in a camp stove, it is always 
a good plan to fill the fire-box with an inch or two 
of sand. This protects the sheet iron and mcikes it 
last longer. 



75 A vn-xT^ T-r-r.T- I"' bakina bread over a fire, with 
BAKING FIRE • i , . n 

either tr)ing-pan, or a reiiector, 

it is necessar}' to have the heat high up. To 

accomplish this, we use fire-dogs, and build a hot 




^^ii^ 



fire. A log laid on the ground back of the fire, 
converts it into an oven, and the heat strikes directly 
on the bread. Baking-powder bread should bake 
quickly, and a hot fire is necessary. The mixing 
of baking-powder bread is given on the outside of 
the baking-powder cans, so we will not go into 
detail. All is not in the mixing, however, zind a 
few simple rules, if followed, will prove useful. As 
bacon is of great value in the wilderness, we will 
naturally economize as much as possible in its use. 
Usually the frying-pans are greased with bacon, to 
keep the bread from sticking; but this is unnecessar}'. 

After cleaning the frying-pan, powder the bot- 
tom evenly with dry flour; place the bannock or 
loaf, in the pan, cind flatten it out. A hole made 
in the middle of the loaf, will render it less liable 
to stick. Hold the frying-pan over the fire long 
enough to let the loaf harden on the bottom. 

This will keep the bannock or loaf from turn- 
ing over when the pan is tilted on edge. While 
heating the pan, you should shake the bannock, 
occasionally, to loosen it from the pan. After the 
bottom of the loaf is sufficiently stiff, tilt the pan up 
in front of the fire by resting it against a log, or 
pushing a sharpened stick into the ground, and rest- 
ing the ring in the frying-pan handle on the end of 
the stick. 

Bread made in this w^ay will not be as brown 
as bread that is made in bacon fat, but it goes 
just as far. 

87 








The only things necessary in a 
FRYING FIRES ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^ ^j^^iUty ^„j fl^^, 

ness. A great deal of heat is not needed, and it 
makes the cook uncomfortable. 

For this reason, two good logs, laid side by 
side, with a bed of hot coals between, answer 
every want, and give lots of room. 



ROASTING Roasting is a very useful method 
FIRES of cooking. In the wilderness, 

men often fry all the meat they eat. This necessi- 
tates eating a large amount of grease, and is apt to 
bring on indigestion. Besides, cold fried meat is 
decidedly inferior to cold roast meat, and it does 
not keep as well. Roast meat, or " scotacook " as 
the Northwestern Indians call it, is easily made. 
The fire should be high, and built in a circular 
form, so as to throw heat from almost every side. 
Then take a strong string that has been thoroughly 
soaked in water, and tie one end of it securely to 
the meat, and the other to a pole from which it is 
suspended over the fire. The meat would burn if 
left alone, but the cook winds the string up by turn- 
ing the meat around. When the meat is loosened, 
it will wind and unwind many times, from its own 
weight, and cook well and evenly. Small pieces 
of meat may be easily roasted by spitting them on 
sticks sharpened at both ends, and stuck up in front 
of the blaze. 

88 



iS^^ 



BOILING 



Boiled food is, like roast meal, a 
welcome and necessary change 
from the frying-pan. A good stew, made from the 
rich meat and bones of a big game animal, is food 
that will carry a man many weary miles. Adding 
a little rice, or a few dumplings, and raisins, gives 
the stew a better taste. In boiling anything it is 
better to have the pot suspended, either from a pole 
resting in two crutches, or a single stick is stuck in 
the ground. This keeps the heat on the bottom of 
the pot, where it belongs. 

Plenty of water, and watch- 
fulness, are required, as a stew is 
apt to go dry, and burn, or boil 
over, and lose its richness. 




COOKING 
UTENSILS 



All that you really need in the 
way of cooking utensils for a 
camping trip, are pots and frying-pans. What you 
do take will depend on the size of your pack-train, 
the roughness of the country, and your own ideas 
on the subject. The best, in wilderness work, how- 
ever, is almost always the simplest; and if you leave 
your heavy Dutch ovens, iron pot, etc., behind, the 
chances are that you will not be sorry. As usual, 
you should economize in space. All your pots, 
pans, cups, and frying-pans, should nest. This 
makes them less liable to bend or break, and they 
89 



are more easily packed. It is well to have five 
pots in a nest, and your cups, knives, forks, and 
spoons fit inside of the smallest pot. The plates fit 
snugly on top of the complete nest. This is a very 
compact outfit, and is a great time and trouble 
saver in camp. Tin lined copper pots are about 
the best, as they are less liable to rust. 

It is a good habit to use each pot for a certain 
food, as it saves time and confusion. The smallest 
pot is usually the right size for boiled fruit. No. 2, 
is your tea or coffee pot. No. 3, is for beans; and 
No. 4, is used for stews on account of the size of 
the bones. No. 5 is used for clean water, and kept 
near the fire. It is much better not to use this pot 
for cooking, as it forms the outside of the nest, and 
if used on the fire would blacken everything it 
touched. 



CAMP COOKING "">« greatest cfficuV in camp 
cookmg is solved by a good 
supply of firewood. 

It is useless to begin bread baking, or roasting 
with a poor lot of fuel. After a good fire is started, 
is the time to begin cooking your food. 

The next difficulty is to calculate the time it 
will take for your different foods to cook, and to 
have them ready for the table at the same time. 

Lastly, the camp cook should work rapidly, as 
there is not much time left for cooking in a day's 

90 




travel in the wilderness. The cook should be able 
to start a fire, boil tea, make or heat bread, and fry 
meat, while the rest of the party are bringing in the 
horses and breaking camp. After breakfast, he must 
wash the dishes, pack up the kitchen box, and pre- 
pare the cold lunch, while the others are packing 
the horses. The last horse packed, and the first 
horse unpacked, is always the animal that carries the 
kitchen outfit. The cook should keep an eye on 
the food supply, and decide on the amount of food 
to be eaten. 

A little economy will often make food last a 
long time, where with careless management the party 
would have to go without. If game is plentiful, the 
cook should stop using bacon, so that when the fresh 
meat gives out, the supply of bacon will be undimin- 
ished. For the reason that wild meat cooked with 
bacon is very palatable, a thoughtless man will often 
cook both together, thereby buming his candle at 
both ends. 

Baking-powder bread, when eaten for a long 
time, is not wholesome. As it does not rise as 
easily in the open air as in a warm kitchen, some 
cooks attempt to make it light by putting in a great 
quantity of baking-powder. This is, of course, waste^ 
ful, and makes an indigestible mess. In fact, it is 
only by constant watchfulness and economy, that 
the wilderness food supply is made to last. 

As to the actual cooking of food, any one can 
learn, who has patience. The simplest methods are 




used ; boiling, baking, frying, and roasting being done 
over the open fire. Of course I am speaking of the 
rough life in the wilderness, and for men who are 
energetic enough to do their own work. There are 
so-called "camps" where people congregate and 
enjoy the luxuries of feather beds, modern plumbing^ 
and lobster a la Newburg. But to these men the 
very thought of cooking their own food, or carrying 
a pack, would be decidedly unpleasant. Indians, 
in the far Northwest, have a way of cooking a 
moose head that they relish greatly; and the same 
way of cooking can be used effectively in camp for 
fish, game, etc. 

After cutting the head from the moose, they 
plaster it with clay, and cover it with hot coals and 
ashes. This bakes the head very slowly, and leaves 
the meat juicy and tender. 

While I have not cooked a moose's head in this 
way, I have more than once cooked fish, ptarmigan, 
and grouse, and the method certainly imparts a 
delightful flavor to the food. 

Hunters often through thoughtlessness throw 
away delicacies that are even rare in civilization. 
The best parts of large game animals, such as the 
brains, kidneys, heart, liver, and tongue, are often 
passed by. Moose-tongue boiled, is one of the 
finest foods a man can have. It is tender, easy to 
carry, nutritious, and delicious when cold; and yet 
1 know many men who have killed moose, and 
never thought of eating tongue. 

92 



The brains of a moose, sheep, caribou, and in 
fact of all big animals, are extremely good to eat; and 
yet they are usually thrown away after the sports- 
man has gone to the trouble of packing the head 
into camp. There are men living to-day who have 
shortened their lives, and suffered the terrors of 
starvation in the wilderness, when, had they prac- 
ticed iron-bound economy, they would have had 
food to spare. 



GRUB 



The grub proposition depends 
upon your own taste, and the 
facilities at hand for packing. Flour, beans, tea, 
sugar, salt, and bacon, are necessities. Anything 
else depends on how much you can carry. 



BEDS 



Bedding suitable for the "bush" 
can be secured at any outfitting 
store or wilderness post. In very cold weather — 
from 1 degrees below zero, dowTi — a sleeping bag 
is of course the best kind of bed. The sleeping- 
bag habit is, however carried to excess. 

Many men will load down an outfit with cumber- 
some bags, when two light blankets would be ample 
for warmth. And in really serious work, the 
horse blankets from the pack animals are plenty 
good enough. 

93 





PACKING 



A knowledge of packing is one 
of the most useful gifts a man 
living in unexplored lands can have. Some men 
never learn how to pack. The science of packing 
is really based on the ability to bundle up a mass of 
duffel neatly, and into the smallest possible space. 
In traveling with horses, preparing the loads is com- 
plicated by the fact that most of the packs must weigh 
evenly. That is, every sidepack must have a mate, 
or the load will not ride well on the backs of the 
horses. This necessitates good judgment and expe- 
rience on the part of the man who first arranges the 
outfit for the trail. 

The pack-train once under way, the packs are 
kept separate, and the worry is to a great extent 
done away with. Of course certain packs grow 
lighter from day to day, such as those that contain 
food. This makes overhauling of all the loads nec- 
essary from time to time. As enough could be 
written about packing to easily fill a good-sized book, 
it is impossible here to go into any detail. But if 
the beginner starts out with the idea that packing is 
an art, and that it cannot be done too well, he has 
made a long stride toward success. As waldemess 
work is done as quickly as possible, packing is 
reduced to a system; and when the packs are unload- 
ed at the end of the day, they must be arranged 
immediately into such shape that repacking 
them can be done easily and quickly. 
94 



ii^B^^ 









In wilderness work there are three ways of 
packing — horse, dog, and man packing. 



PACKING Before the novice begins his first 
HORSES trip with a pack train, he should 
make himself familiar with one or two variations of 
the hitch. This is absolutely necessary. Next, he 
should make himself familiar v^th pack-saddles, and 
their uses, and learn how to "rope-up" packs. All 
this knowledge can be found in books. The hitches 
he can practice at home, and in a short time he will 
think himself capable of packing any animal that lives. 

Then comes the momentous day when the train 
is driven in to the little frontier town, and our tender- 
foot, with some " old-timer" to help him, begins to 
put his "book-larnin' " to practical use. The result 
is a disappointment so keen that he remembers it 
with shame for many years. 

In the first place, the remarks of the loungers 
who have turned out of the frontier bar-rooms to 
see the sport, are distinctly audible. An old, grizzled 
hunter turns to his companions, and says ; — "Durned 
if he aint tyin* a bow-knot" — etc., etc. 

The final outcome is that our novice begins all 
over again ; but if he perseveres, the time comes at 
last when his "book-larnin* " proves of use. 

The difficulty is that from Mexico to the Yukon 
men are packing horses, and it is very seldom that 
95 




you find a number of men together who pack in 
exactly the same way. 

Learn your hitch well ; test it in all kinds of hard 
work ; and you can smile when the other fellows talk. 



PACKING DOGs'^"^ T ""'"'' '''^"=''f °' 

country that are so rugged that 

penetrating them with horses is impossible. 

The Selkirk Mountains, in the "big bend" of 
the Columbia River, are a good example. Dogs, 
for this kind of work, are unsurpassed. A good 
strong dog will carry twenty pounds without diffi- 
culty. Take four dogs with you, and they can 
treuisport a little over one hundred pounds of grub — 
enough for a long time — while you carry your own 
pack. 

In summer work of this kind, the dogs will 
practically feed themselves, and as all the wild coun- 
try of our Northwest teems either with big game, or 
animals of the marmot family, it is not a difficult 
matter to get meat. Salmon is also a favorite dog 
food, and can be found in all the water systems that 
flow to the Pacific Ocean. 

I have used dogs in some of the ruggedest coun- 
try in Northern British Columbia, and found them to 
be good weight-carriers. 

All the harness necessary is a canvas saddle, 
built in the shape of two large pockets. After the 
96 



pockets are filled, the saddle is placed on the dog's 
back, and tied on with a rope that goes around the 
pack and across the dog's chest. 



MAN PACKING ^? ^ "'^^ '' *''^'^^^^"f ^^''^"sH 
an unknown country with a heavy 

pack, he is doing to my mind, by far the hardest 

labor yet devised. 

When a Western man speaks of packing, he 
does not necessarily mean packing as it is known 
along the Adantic Coast, or Canada. 

This packing is usually done on portages, and 
even a man who is not very strong can carry his 
hundred pounds a mile or more. In the far North- 
west, and Alaska, however, there is not much 
canoeing, and men go far into the wildemess with 
all their possessions on their backs. In this sort of 
work, Western men not only carry what would 
amount to a good portage load all day, but keep at 
it day in and day out, for long periods. 

Of course I do not mean that Canadians or 
Eastem frontiersmen are unable to do the same 
work; but due to Canada's splendid facilities for 
canoeing, the need for long-distance packing seldom 
arises. 

Now among frontiersmen there is an expression 
that perfectly describes the tender-foot's first attempt 
at carrying a load. The expression is "fighting a 

97 



pack." The novice when he starts Into the wil- 
derness with a heavy load, begins by thinking that 
It Is easy work. He goes up hill quickly, wastes 
steps and strength, by stepping on logs instead of 
over them, and at the end of his first two miles is 
played out. His pack has, like a trained prize- 
fighter, banged him over the kidneys until his legs 
wabble. He is afraid he Is going to be left behind, 
that the skin Is coming away from his shoulders, 
and that he is going to die. In other words, he has 
been "lighting his pack." 

I will not go Into detail and describe pack shapes, 
as I have used every kind, from the wooden Russian 
ajlnts shape of Behring Sea, to the "tump-link" of 
Canada, and they are all equally uncomfortable. 
The things to learn In packing are these — Arrange 
your pack as well as you possibly can ; think of 
something pleasant ; rest regularly, but not too often, 
and DON'T worry at your load. 

Once I was packmg a good load across the 
Alaska Peninsula to Behring Sea. The sun was 
hot, the snow was deep and soft, and my feet had 
chafed In my heavy rubber boots. I was "fighting 
my pack" and getting beaten. How It started I 
don't know, but I began thinking of a pleasure trip 
I had taken years before. When I "came to," I 
found that I had carried my pack over a mile of the 
worst part of the trail, and had not thought of it once! 
That was my lesson ; and since then my back no 
longer "aches at the thought of a pack." 

98 




FORDING ^ stream In the 

STREAMS wilderness may 
be either a blessing or a death- 
trap. When the hunter or prospector is traveling 
by canoe, every stream is a benefit, and the rushing 
v^aters carve for him a broad highway through 
mountains and lowlands. In many places, however, 
the streams are not navigable and the reason that 
makes them difficult to canoe — their swiftness — 
makes them a source of danger to the hunter and 
prospector. 

These men, in their wanderings, must continually 
ford them; and in this work they are often threat- 
ened with starvation, through the loss of their provi- 
sions, or with death, by the fury of the waters. 

Ordinarily, there are only two ways of crossing 
a stream ; wading and swimming. Swimming, of 
course, in a rocky, glacial stream, is not fun : so we 
come down to wading ; and there are two kinds. 



PACK FORDING ^"PP°'^ "'^ '^^^? '' f'^^ ^^'^^ 
wide, and you find a place where 

it is swift, but not over waist deep ; here your grub 
will help ; for an eighty-pound pack will hold you 
to the bottom, when without it you would be swept 
away. This fact is well known, and rocks or gravel 
from the bank will help, if your pack is too light 
to keep you down. 

In this fording your pack must be well up on 
LOFC 99 



your shoulders, and ready to drop instantly ; for if 
you fall down with a tightly tied or strapped pack, 
you will not come up until you have lost all interest 
in the undertaking. 

POLE FORDING " *ere»re three or four in the 
party, decide on the best rord, 
usually the widest stretch. Cut a slender pole, 
between eight and twelve feet long, and at least 
two and a half inches in diameter at the small end. 
You can always find balsams or alders on almost 
any glacier stream, except in high altitudes, and 
there the streams are small and the fording easy. 

It is a good plan to take off your trousers, as 
there will be less resistance to the water ; but keep 
on your footgear or the round glacial boulders will 
grind your ankles. When all are ready, fetand in a 
line and grasp the pole. The lightest man (A) 
should be on the up-stream, and the heaviest man 
(B) on the down-stream end of the pole. A's 
pack and clothes should be distributed among the 
others, as they need weight, and A will be under 
water occasionally. 

Now all start across in line, walking down 
stream, always keeping the pole parallel with the 
current. As the water deepens, A may be swept 
from his feet, but he must hold on to the pole, for 
he is making an eddy for the others to walk in. 

If possible, always pass below rocks. The 
100 




water is deeper there, but less swift than on the up- 
stream side. The first time I saw this ford made, 
was in Northern British Columbia, where three of 
us crossed a dangerous stream with perfect ease. 

But in all fords, remember that it is the fool 
who never turns back. If the water feels too strong, 
return while you can, for a glacier stream knows 
no mercy. 

TTr/^/-^T^^r• a t-tt ^t ^s scldom that you meet a man 

WOODCRAFT n -r i . ^ t 'T'x 

really gitted m woodcrart. 1 he 
man who can call himself a good "all Vound" wil- 
derness man, must combine much unusual knowl- 
edge. He must be a good hunter, which combines 
not only the ability to shoot straight, but also a keen 
insight into the lives and habits of wilderness ani- 
mals. Indians are almost invariably deficient in 
marksmanship, but make up for it by a good knowl- 
edge of the habits of wild game. White hunters 
are usually skillful in the use of firearms, but lack 
the patience shown by the best Indian hunters in 
stalking big game. 

The woodsman must also be a good packer, a 
skilled boatman, a carpenter, a good cook, a past- 
master in the art of making shelters, and a man who 
is developed highly in that rare gift — resource- 
fulness. 

Probably the wilderness hunters of the "buffalo 
days" came nearer combining all these qualities 
than any other type ever produced in America, as 
101 



II 



in their case the fundamental principles of wood- 
craft were instilled into them when children. But 
while the modern hunter may not be able to acquire 
all of the skill of the old-time trapper, he can by 
perseverance and hard work, become a man strong, 
self-reliant, reading the beautiful truths of nature as 
an open book, and fearlessly facing her anger. But 
while nature is a hard mistress, she has no rivals ; 
once thoroughly in her power, the desires for wealth 
and social precedence are forgotten ; and the breath 
of the woods, and the deep, bass song of the 
mountain, hold no secrets from you. 



HUNTING 




Every man who travels in wild 
countries, must at times go for 
long intervals without seeing any other human 
beings except those that compose his own party. 

This makes the wild life about him doubly 
interesting, whether his object is the hunting of big 
game or not. If the lack of food makes hunting a 
necessity, then, indeed, the chase becomes a pas- 
sion; and given a fresh trail, the hunter will travel 
on, suffering cold, hunger, and fatigue, until he meets 
with success or failure. Hunting big game suc- 
cessfully requires all the characteristics that go to 
make a man successful in any branch of life. Deter- 
mination, cheerfulness, optimism, physical strength, 
and good judgment, are needed, besides a knowl- 
edge of the habits of big game. 
102 



STILL O"® ^^ ^^ "^ost important fac- 

HUNTING tors in still-hunting, is, as the 
name of the sport implies, being quiet. This is a 
thing that the city-bred man finds most difficult; 
and he will actually insist that his progress is noise- 
less, when he is giving a good imitation of a "bull 
in a china shop." 

Wild animals do not move rapidly; and if the 
novice will take them as a model, he will learn 
with surprise what real silence means. Go off into 
the woods, a mile or more from camp, and lie 
down. At first you are not conscious of any feel- 
ing in particular ; but in half an hour the silence 
begins to sink into you. A crow caws far off in 
the forest, and at last you begin to realize what 
silence is. The sound of singing comes from the 
distant camp, and you wonder why Bill persists in 
making so much noise. A slender twig, two hun- 
dred yards away, breaks with a noise like a toy 
pistol. 

The next time you go still-hunting, you travel 
one foot where before you moved twenty, and see 
game where before you only saw tracks, and fresh 
beds. 




103 



Carelessness with Firearms 



One of the reasons that firearms are of use is 
that they are dangerous. 

Of course we all know that the gun lover is 
always a man who spends as much time as he can 



in the "open." 



We know that hunting is a sport that builds 
character, makes strong muscles, red blood, and 
instills in us a love of nature. But with his first 
gun the boy begins the transformation that ends in 
manhood. For the first time his parents show con- 
fidence in him, and knowingly allow him the use of 
a man's weapon. 

Now, to me, one of the most powerful reasons 
for training boys in the use of firearms at an early 
age, is, that most of the accidental slaughter com- 
mitted with firearms is due to men who have not 
been given an opportunity to use guns in their youth. 
I am not going to argue, here, on the "didn't know 
it was loaded" man. He, as a rule, only hurts 
himself ; and a little early training will soon instill 
into boys a fear of every gun. To me, the greatest 
crime committed with firearms is the shooting of a 
fellow human being in mistake for game. Any man 
who has ever committed 
this fault, no matter what 



^,/»"«» 




the result may have been, should be forbidden by 
the laws of the country to ever shoulder a gun again. 
The crime is responsible to two things — senseless 
excitement, and criminal thoughtlessness or careless- 
ness, and a man liable to either of these faults, is a 
menace in the "bush," or anywhere. 

Let your bearing towards your gun be one of 
constant watchfulness. Let your enjoyment of hunt- 
ing lie in the pleasure of studying the habits of wild 
animals, and in doing well a man's part in the 
dangers and hardships of the wilderness hunt. Let 
your desire be to kill what game you do, as a man, 
rather than to kill a lot, as a butcher. In this way 
you will grow younger as you grow old ; and the 
freshness of the fields, the dignity of the mountains, 
and the laughter of the cle^ar streams, will enter Into 
and be a part of you. 




FINIS 



105 



STEVENS REPEATING 
GALLERY RIFLE No. 80 



"THE BULL'S-EYE KIND" 



Made to take the famous .25 Stevens R. F. 
cartridge. The only .25 caliber Rim-Fire Repeat- 
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Stevens Repeaters are the most accurate and 
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If you cannot obtain from your Dealer, we 
ship direct, express prepaid, upon receipt of 
Catalog Price. 

Always insist on STEVENS when ordering. 



Send 5 cents in stamps for 160- Page Illustrated 
and Descriptive Catalog. Replete with 
Stevens and general fire- 
aim information. 



J. STEVENS ARMS & TOOL COMPANY 



CHICOPEE FALLS, MASS. 




r. rill' ilMilwi^'*^ 




mMBBm. 



^miF 



When camping, it is at times imperative to put 
up with a whole lot. Don't put up with a firearm 
of doubtful efficiency. 

Get a STEVENS! 

You will wonder why YOU missed doing so 
before. 




WE think that possibly a few words 
regarding our business may not be 
out of place, and might be of 
interest to the readers of "Guns and Gunning." 
This Company began the manufacture of 
Firearms in 1 864, and from the beginning 
our policy has always been to make only a 
High-Grade ARM. Since January 1 , 1 896, 
our growth has been most marked. At that 
time we occupied one factory with a total 
floor space of 1 7,000 square feet and employed 
44 people. To-day our plant comprises six 
large buildings and several storehouses, over 
Myi acres of floor space, and we employ 
over 1200 people. Our RIFLES, SHOT- 

GUNS. Pistols, Firearm Acces- 
sories, are absolutely the best at popular 
prices. Reliable and Fully Guaranteed. We 
issue a most interesting 160-page catalog 
which will be mailed upon receipt of five 
cents in stamps to cover postage. 




J. STEVENS ARMS & TOOL COMPANY 

CHICOPEE FALLS. MASS. 



H%283 S^ ■• 



APR 24 1908 




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HECKMAN 

BINDERY INC. 

1984 



W=W^ N. MANCHESTER, 
INDIANA 46962 




